Isofons: The Sound of the Wind
by Anaeli Faller
Summary: Book One - One boy would have cared to stop and enjoy the sights of the magnificent city of Baticul, had he not been chased by the guards. Seven years later, join us as we tell the tale of an individual who can make quite a difference in life. Spoilers.
1. Prologue

**A/N** - WOW! This is my FIRST EVER FANFIC! So. . .I think it sucks. Horribly. Awfully. But. . .eh, prove me wrong, if you like. Reviews are loved. My updates are going to be SLOOOOOW, though. Real-life issues. Blargh. BUT! Starting next month, things should be okay.

**Disclaimer** - I don't own ToA in any possible way.

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**Prologue**

Baticul. A unique city. Built in the crater of a fonstone that fell from the sky, this magnificent city is well-protected. The lower-class live in the lowest part while the upper-class live in the highest part, which is accessed by elevators. The current king, King Ingobert the VI, and his daughter lived in the castle while Duke Fabre and his family lived right nearby. Baticul's coliseum was a popular place as well, with people flocking from all over the world, from Malkuth and Kimlasca, even though the two countries were enemies.

Had this been any normal day, one boy would have cared to stop and enjoy the sights of the magnificent city. However, he couldn't; not today. For today, he had to run for his life to where ever he could, his recent hiding place having been discovered by Baticul's guards and the White Knights.

"Get back here, brat!"

"We'll teach you to try and steal from us!"

The "brat" in question, a small boy with hair as blue as the sky--wearing simple white t-shirt and blue ragged jeans, that had seen better days, plus a white cape that was trailing behind him and a golden necklace around his neck that held his name: Alex; dirt covered him and his clothes and he had some scratches on his legs and hands--did not stop. Despite his age, he was able to stay ahead of the two dozen guards chasing after him, who were actually getting tired from their chase. That was when the boy noticed the elevators. Usually, they were guarded, but since most of the guards in the area were _chasing_ him, he could easily sneak on. And so, he did, diving onto it and immediately hitting the button for it to go. At once, it did, and he was soon heading straight up to the highest levels of Baticul.

As he crawled to the edge and looked down on the guards, who were already heading to the second elevator, he gulped; they were bound to catch him this time. The other route may have been longer, but they would still catch him. After all, there weren't many places he could hide in the land of the nobility.

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"Master Luke, please! Don't cry!"

The small boy had finally arrived in the upper class, running on and climbing over a fence that led to who-knows-where. When he thought he was safe for a little while longer, he slowed down to a walk, wandering around the area he was now in; an entirely HUGE area with nothing but grass and flowers, seemingly deserted. Butterflies flew here and there and bees collected the nectar from the honey. It was beautiful, and for once, the boy smiled happily, child-like wonder filling his eyes. If he could hide here forever, then he'd be happy forever! But alas, the guards were going to find him eventually. He'd dazed out until he heard the voice of an unfamiliar woman, reminding him of which part of Baticul he was and where he had just possibly trespassed.

Panicking, he quickly glanced around; left and right, trying to find something. . ._anything_ he could hide behind; the last thing he needed was for the _family's_ personal guard to come after him. That was when he spotted a tree nearby, and quickly scrambled towards and up it, panting as he sat on the nearest branch. Unfortunately, it was directly in front of the family he'd heard earlier. A single red-headed boy was laying on the ground, crying and. . .throwing a tantrum? He had to be at least ten years old, six years older than himself. And three maids were trying to get him to calm down, and were apparently failing. An older couple were standing off away from them; the man was a rough-looking man: Duke Fabre. The blue-haired boy instantly recognized him. He was famous! Among Kimlasca, as a great and powerful man, next to the king, and in Malkuth, as the most wanted man in the country. Next to him was a woman, red hair flowing and green eyes soft; Madam Fabre, probably. How she ended up marrying the Duke, he could only guess.

The only male servant present was a young teen with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, who was (regrettably) standing nearest to his hiding spot. Alex thought he'd seen him look in his direction and froze, but relaxed when the blonde looked away.

"Such a shame. His knowledge of being a great ruler; his sword training. . .even how to walk and talk; he's forgotten it all," Duke Fabre spoke, loud enough for the blue-haired boy to hear him.

"Dear. . .the kidnapping must have been traumatic for him. It can't be helped," Madam Fabre replied soothingly, looking up at her husband, while the Duke watched his son, who was now laughing happily; the maids must have obviously cheered him up if he was laughing now.

"There you are!"

The blue-haired boy nearly fell out of his tree at the sudden new voice, almost falling out of the tree. He thought for sure he had been caught again, but realized it was a girl's voice; a young girl's voice. When he righted himself (and caught that blonde servant looking in his direction again), he spotted the owner, and his jaw almost dropped (though his eyes did widen); it was Princess Natalia, smiling happily, looking at the red-haired boy who had been crying earlier (Luke, he guessed) lie he was her one true love. . .and he probably was. In her hands, she had a ring of flowers, neatly woven and absolutely beautiful. She walked up to Luke and placed it gently on his head, and he only looked up at her with a confused expression. But soon, he smiled again. Then, the blue-haired boy could've sworn he heard a sob, glancing down at the base of the tree and learning he wasn't alone. But he was utterly confused now!

The same redhead from just feet in front of him was standing there. . .crying. . .and. . .wow. . .were they twins or something? He couldn't tell. Behind the second redhead was a man with brown hair, wearing a grin that sent several chills down Alex's spine. The elder man then took the redhead away and they were both soon out of sight.

"THERE YOU ARE!"

Alex yelped, jumping so high he really did fall off the branch, landing hard on the ground below; thank GOD he didn't just break a bone! But before he even had a moment to recover, he was suddenly yanked up roughly into the hair by two different pairs of armored hands. To his left was a guard from the Kimlascan army. To his right, a White Knight. Great. They'd found him. Now he was really in for it! Instead of sitting still, the blue-haired boy struggled as much as any four-year-old could against guards, kicking and trying to pull himself out of grip. Of course, it was all futile, sadly. But he did manage to gain the attention of Duke and Duchess Fabre, Luke, Princess Natalia, the blonde servant, and all the other maids that were there.

"Little brat. You're in for it! Just wait until—"

"**What is the meaning of this!**"

Everyone froze, even the struggling four-year-old. Duke Fabre's commanding voice was still ringing in his ears, and though he didn't understand why, the man was obviously a well-respected and maybe even feared man. He'd caught the blonde flinch; ha. Although, he probably knew he was there the whole time. . .not like he had the best hiding place in the world.

"I asked you a question: What is the _meaning_ of this?" the Duke demanded again, in a less frightening tone. The guards holding him, as well as the others that had followed (about five others) stood at attention. . .and their grip never weakened. Not that they would have needed to weaken it. . .unless the Duke miraculously saved him from a possibly very harsh beating.

"Sir! This child tried to steal from the market. This hasn't been the first time, either. Though today, we finally caught him," one of the White Knights that were behind (and strangely, every guard present was standing at attention) offered. "We just plan to find his family and return him where he belongs."

"Oh? That's not what it looked like to me. Release him!" Duke Fabre ordered, and at once, the knights released him. Alex fell to the ground with a thud, trembling at the impact; he hadn't expected that, nor had he been ready. And that. . .HURT. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes, but he quickly sat up and wiped them away furiously; he would not cry. He would not. Not now and not ever again.

"Dear. . .please, go easy on him. He's only a child," Madam Fabre spoke, somehow cooling the Duke down; how she managed to do that, no one would ever know. But instead of approaching him herself, she looked at the blonde teen with a soft expression, still. "Guy, please. . .if you would, help patch him up. He looks terribly hurt."

"As you wish, ma'am," the blonde servant, Guy, responded, bowing before turning on Alex and walking up to him, kneeling down in front of him so he was his height. The blue-haired child flinched and stepped back, earning a chuckle from the teen. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I'm here to help."

Somehow, Alex didn't feel ready to believe him.

"What's you're name?" Guy asked.

Alex remained silent.

"Err. . .how old are you?"

Alex held up four fingers. _Okay, he knows his age and can count. Good,_ Guy thought. But one thing still bugged him.

"Can you talk?"

Alex nodded.

"Will you?"

Alex shook his head, and Guy let out a frustrated sigh; well, wasn't this going to be fun. The boy wasn't going to make this easy, not in the least bit. Still, he'd at least discovered his age. Then, something caught his attention, around the boy's neck. He was wearing a golden necklace that said. . .Alex? "Is your name Alex?" he asked curiously.

And the blue-haired nodded slowly.

"Well then, Alex, nice to meet you. My name's Guy," he introduced, pointing at himself. By now, Natalia and Luke (who Natalia had escorted over) had come as well. So Guy, noticing, looked at them for a moment and a small smile crept onto his face. "And these two are Princess Natalia and Luke fon Fabre, heirs to the throne of Kimlasca."

"Really, Guy! You don't have to be so formal all the time," Natalia scowled, letting go of Luke and crossing her arms.

"M-My apologies, Princess. . ."

Alex watched on in curiousity as Natalia advanced on Guy, and the blonde got up so fast and backed up that it was a miracle he didn't fall. Then Natalia surprised him and latched onto his arm, and Guy screeched, pulling out of Natalia's grip and running right behind the guards at attention, who were trying so hard not to laugh, apparently. One or two did let a chuckle slip, though. But that didn't catch his attention nearly as much as when he was suddenly yanked into a hug. At once, the four-year-old yelped, struggling against his capture before he was able to look up and realize that Luke had trapped him and was now laughing happily at him. Alex didn't know if he should fight back or cry; it'd been so long since he was hugged. At least, it felt like that.

"S-Sir! Look at this!"

Alex yelped as he was suddenly grabbed out of Luke's grasp (much to the redhead's pleasure) and held him up, as though examining his back. Well, his cloak, to be exact. But soon, Duke and Madam Fabre, as well as Natalia (who consoled Luke) came and the guards were still holding him up. Guy, who was still behind them, looked at what the guards were looking at and his eyes widened.

"T-That's. . .isn't that the symbol for the third fonon? But. . .wait. . .no, that's not it. But it's almost identical," he said to himself, a little too loudly; everyone looked at him and he flinched, cursing when the guards parted so he could be seen; Alex continued struggling, now attempting to bite off the hands that were holding him. But the guards were smarter. Then, he was given away to another pair of stronger, _much _stronger, hands; the Duke's. Alex instantly stopped struggling, trembling now instead.

"It does indeed resemble the third fonon. But it's a family crest; a Kimlascan one. For which family, I don't know," he spoke after a moment of silence. Now, Alex was curious; family crest? He'd forgotten all about that possibility. All he'd done was grab the nearest thing in his old home that could provide decent shelter and ran. Grr. . .what was his family name? He didn't know; he'd never had the chance to learn.

"The Kinjo family." Madam Fabre's voice startled him, and he was once again transferred, into her soft arms in a position he was comfortable with. "This is the crest of the Kinjo family. They were famous for being excellent users of the Third fonon. But the last heir was killed and the family soon died out before anything could be done about it. This little boy must be the last one."

"Kinjo? I'd heard. . .a rumour about them," Guy muttered, earning attention again and flinching. Again. Dammit, he kept speaking too loudly; of course he would be heard! "It's said that there was once a man who was the perfect isofon of Sylph, the sentience of the third fonon. But. . .he died, and that was thousands of years ago, near the end of the Dawn Age. It's nothing to be concerned of."

Alex blinked, and everyone else was silent, except Luke, who still seemed on the verge of tears after having his friend snatched away from him. Even Natalia was listening. Finally, after more silence, the blue-haired boy was set down, and Luke cheered, immediately grabbing him and almost crushing him in a hug, though the younger boy did hug him back a little, if to ease the grip a little bit.

"This could be a problem. If word gets out that he might be from the Kinjo family, he could be in a lot of danger," Duke Fabre mused, folding his arms and thinking deeply. By now, all the guards had shifted uncomfortably after realizing who they may have been trying to punish, and Guy resumed his position, kneeling on the ground next to Luke and Alex and trying to save the four-year-old from getting crushed to death. "Then it's settle. We shall keep him under our protection, until such a time comes that he can take care of himself."

"Guy. Do you mind caring for both Luke _and_. . .Alex?" Madam Fabre hesitated, looking down at the blue-haired boy, who nodded and actually smiled, his childish innocence that had been hidden the entire time actually showing for once, and the woman sighed with relief before a soft expression resuming its place on her face as she knelt on the ground.

"As you wish, Madam," Guy bowed (as much as one could, anyway, when you were kneeling). Alex's attention was captured, though, by the woman kneeling on the ground, and Luke had gotten tired of trying to crush him; what was she doing on the ground? She didn't have to; she was almost royalty. So why was she on the ground? Then, she held out her arms, a sign that the young boy instantly recognized; most mothers did that to welcome their children. Was she. . .did she really. . .consider him like that already? Cautiously, the little boy walked up to Madam Fabre, step by step, until he was a few feet away from her. Then, without thinking, he launched himself into her arms, clinging to her clothes and trembling, burying himself as her arms wrapped around him. Tears leaked through his closed eyes and he hiccupped from having to hold them back, and then looked up at her kind face.

So. . .he'd found another home. But how long would it take for _this_ one to be ripped away from him?


	2. Seven Years Later

**A/N **- Boredom does things to you. One of which is write up to three chapters plus a prologue for a fanfic! Yay for you, boo for me. Why? Because BOREDOM FREAKING SUCKS. Okay, enough random talking.

**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own Tales of the Abyss. Period. End of story. But I do think Luke is freaking hot and I want him as MINE! 

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**Chapter 1 – Seven Years Later**

"_**Lu. . .He. . .d. . .oice. . .**_"

_It's that voice again. . ._

Luke fon Fabre cracked open his eyes, staring dazedly up at the ceiling of his room (which was separate from the rest of the manor). Once again, his dreams had been interrupted by a mysterious voice that he neither knew nor understood. Always, the messages were unclear and strange, and he couldn't clear it up even if he wanted to. It started seven years ago, after his kidnapping by the Malkuth Empire. From what he knew, he'd lost all his childhood memories and abilities and had to relearn them. He'd managed to do that just fine, and now he was back up to pace with the rest of people his age—seventeen.

Sighing, Luke sat up in bed, his hair, flaming red yet touched with gold at its tips, messy yet not quite so. It had its own sort of elegance, an elegance that many noticed. The boy stood up from his bed and stretched out his arms, relaxing when he was satisfied before he picked out fresh clothes and changed into them. As soon as he'd done that, he walked over to his window, opening it up and letting in the fresh air.

Life in the manor was completely and utterly dull. If it weren't for the servants, who he could carry small conversations with if Ramdas or his father weren't looking, Guy, his best friend and guardian, and Alex, Guy's little helper, he probably would have gone insane. He still remembered the day he and Alex had met. And since then, there was always _something_ happening in the manor, whether it was the guards chasing Alex because he'd annoyed them to no end or it was just some important visitor wanting to meet the him or his father. . .or maybe even both. Alex was occasionally called by the select few visitors who knew of his real identity, but only for a moment. Otherwise, he was hanging around Guy. Then, Luke heard some voices. And they were pretty loud to be normal. Curious, Luke turned and walked out of his room into the courtyard, and he didn't have to go very far to find the source of the noise.

Standing by a tree, looking up into it with a worried expression, was Guy. And up in the tree (Luke noted with a wave of horror) was Alex, the blue-haired boy reaching over and trying to grab his favourite white cloak, which had most likely been blown away with the wind. So the eleven-year-old was (Luke guessed) trying to get it back without any help; he'd always been like that. He never accepted any help from anybody except from Luke.

"Alex, please! Get down from there!" Guy pleaded, though he backed up a step when Alex shot him a glare; for a kid, he could be pretty scary.

"I'm not getting down until I get it back!" Alex snapped, then turned back to the clothing article and reached for it again while clinging to the tree's trunk. After a moment's struggle, he grabbed it, happiness sprouting on his face as he pulled it to his body and fastened it around his neck firmly so it wouldn't fly again. Luke couldn't help but sigh with relief; at least he hadn't gotten hurt. But he was still annoyed by the kid right now. So, he walked up to the two while Alex hopped down two branches (he was on the 4th from the ground), looked at Guy for a moment, who was too relieved to notice, then looked back up at Alex.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Luke asked loudly, startling both Guy and Alex, who jumped so much that he lost his balance and fell from the tree; Guy managed to catch him just in time, and the blonde held the boy in his arms firmly while Luke folded his arms and glared at the two of them. "Well?" he demanded.

"I was just trying to get my cloak back; that's all," Alex answered, squirming out of Guy's arms and jumping onto his feet; his cloak was almost identical to the one he'd had seven years ago when he'd first arrived. The only difference was the size and the green trimming it now had. The blue-haired boy fixed himself before dashing up to Luke and practically tackling the redhead to the ground; had the boy been any bigger, he probably would have. "What's wrong with you! You sleep in too much!" he pouted, looking up at the older boy.

"What's wrong with _you_? You wake up at the crack of dawn and you're still full of energy!" Luke retorted, ruffling up Alex's hair. Then he broke out of the child's embrace and took a couple steps back, examining the younger servant; Alex was wearing a plain red t-shirt, that was a bit too big for him, under a white jacket with black trimming and blue, ragged jeans that were held up by a black belt. He also wore plain black shoes that were suitable for all the work he had to help Guy with; the kid was pretty tough.

"Hey. I take pride in being able to wake up at dawn after what your parents pile on me," Guy said modestly, earning a laugh from both Luke and Alex. For a while, the three stood there and talked about whatever they could think of; seven years of being locked inside a manor hardly helped with topics. Mostly, they talked about the tutoring Luke and Alex had to go through, though they did talk occasionally about the sword practice. After a little bit longer, Alex grabbed Luke's hand and started trying to pull him along; a feat he'd yet to be able to manage. He usually did that whenever he wanted to go somewhere.

"Come on! Let's go inside!" Alex whined, continuing his struggle; Guy laughed, and Luke was finding it hard not to do the same.

"Argh, alright, alright! We'll go inside," Luke gave in, and the little boy cheered before racing to the left, one of the two entrances into the main building, and quickly opened the door. Luke followed after him, waving good-bye to Guy, who continued on with his daily chores. The redhead barely managed to keep an eye on Alex, and as predicted, he went straight to Ramdas, the family butler. Often, the child felt the need to bug him for whatever reason. _Better him than the guards. I swear, they look ready to skewer him at any time_, he thought to himself, walking up behind Alex as he listened in on his and Ramdas's conversations; at least it was one of the few moments of entertainments in this god-forsaken place. And yet, at any moment, Ramdas was bound to pop his regular lecture in; he always did, no matter what.

"Young Master Luke! There you are!" the butler said loudly, cutting off whatever Alex was about to say. "The Duke requests your presence in the drawing room; Dorian General Grants is there as well. You are to wait for someone to call you in your room. I'm afraid Alex may not attend, however." At this, Alex pouted, but Ramdas only remained as firm as ever; he was so hard to persuade!

"Master Van's here? But it's not a training day, is it?" Luke asked curiously.

"You may receive the details when you are called in."

"Grr. . .Rammy's an evil man," Alex pouted, causing Luke to snicker and Ramdas to frown at him, though for the most part, he ignored him.

"Also, Young Master Luke. Please stop fraternizing with the gardener Pere and. . .others." Ramdas eyed Alex, who only grinned innocently. "It is unfit for someone of your social status," the butler predictably said. _Knew he was gonna say that!_ Luke thought proudly as he and Alex exchanged looks. They were both thinking the same thing; he could tell.

"Geez. . .alright! And quit ordering me around," Luke complained, waving his hand before turning and heading off in the direction of his room. Alex momentarily followed, though not before he stuck his tongue out at 'Rammy,' who glared after the boy but said nothing.

The two walked side-by-side, with the younger talking happily as Luke just listened; he could go on for miles at time if he dared to try! Yikes. . .that wouldn't be fun to listen to. They finally arrived at Luke's bedroom, where Alex immediately jumped onto Luke's neat bed and sat on the edge, feet hovering above the ground as he watched the redhead and continued talking still. _Wow. . .he really can go on forever_, Luke thought to himself, resisting a chuckle but smiling a little bit.

"_**Luke. . .**_"

Luke's smile immediately dropped; again. It was that strange voice again. . .

"_**My. . .voice. . .hear. . .voice. . .Luke. . .**_"

Luke pressed a hand against his temple, then collapsed onto the ground on his knees, clutching his head. Alex stopped talking almost at once, watching Luke for a minute before jumping off the bed and rushing to his side, kneeling down next to his sibling. But Luke was hurting too much to notice.

"Argh. . .I knew it. . .it's that damn voice again," he muttered, more to himself than anything. But Alex heard and he worried; this had happened to the redhead for seven years running, getting more and more frequent. It wouldn't take long until it became daily! And that's what Alex was really worried about; when it _did_ become daily. Duke and Madam Fabre had called in every doctor in Baticul and even some doctors from Belkend. But not one of them knew what was wrong with Luke. Aside from the headaches thing, Luke was completely and perfectly healthy.

"Luke! What is it? Not another one of those headaches again?" Guy's voice asked, drifting into the room. Alex looked towards the open window, and Guy was there, standing on the windowsill, concern once more etched on his face; the second time today.

"Guy. . .is that you?" Luke asked weakly. The headache lasted a second longer before vanishing just as suddenly as it had appeared. And though he felt drained because of it, he knew he'd recover; he had to. He was expected to be in the drawing room as soon as he was called. Once he was sure he could stand again, the redhead did so, shaking his head slightly before looking at Guy. "It's okay. It's gone now. . ."

Guy closed his eyes, the concern washing off his face as he looked out the way he'd come in. "They're getting more frequent, ever since you'd been kidnapped by the Malkuth empire. What's that, seven years now?"

"I wish I knew what the hell it was. It's so annoying," Luke complained, placing his left hand on his hip. Alex giggled; Luke had such a wonderfully colorful vocabulary! And Madam Fabre would scold him whenever Alex was present to hear; such a rare yet lovely occasion.

Guy chuckled then jumped from the windowsill onto the ground. "Well, don't worry about it too much," he said positively, smiling a little bit; his blue eyes shone, and Alex knew what _that_ meant. "How about some sword practice to take your mind off it?" Figures.

"Sorry, not today. Master Van's here," Luke said happily, a grin on his face. Alex flinched; this was once of the times he hated, when Luke got smug. There were even times he would whine and sometimes even snap at Alex himself.

"Van? But today's not a training day, is it?" Guy asked curiously, a questioning expression replacing his smile easily; his eyes stopped shining, too. Alex took the chance to sneak up on Guy and suddenly tackle the blonde guardian, who jumped and nearly fell over.

"Nope. Something came up," Luke replied, eyes watching Alex as the blue-haired boy laughed happily; strange little kid. But he couldn't hate him. He did pity him, though, a little bit. A lot of the maids would try to corner him and constantly try to call him cute, some even going as far as to get him dressed in some ridiculously tight outfit. Luke often had to save him. Like with Guy! Although Guy had a special case. . .

A knock on the door interrupted the three, then the voice of a female: "Master Luke. May I come in?"

"Uh-oh. I better go before I get caught," Guy said, breaking out of Alex's embrace and jumping back on the windowsill, ready to leave.

"I'll come! 'Cause Luke's gonna be busy," Alex explained, pouting a little bit at his last statement; it was so unfair! It wasn't like he'd understand half the things that the adults talked about. . .but still! Besides, Guy didn't really need his help that much; the blonde could easily manage any task.

"Alright. Hey, I'll even help you test your abilities," Guy grinned, and Alex immediately hopped up and over the windowsill. "See ya, Luke!" the blonde said before he jumped off the windowsill and led Alex around back to the courtyard.

Luke sighed as he watched the two leave; lucky them. Another knock on the door managed to creep under his skin: "Master Luke?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Come on in," Luke called, facing his door. It swung open and one of the maids walked in, standing nice and neatly, bowing before she spoke again.

"His grace requests your presence in the drawing room," she informed.

"Alright, dismissed," Luke said lazily, waving his hand. She understood and bowed again before turning and leaving. "Guess I'll get going," he said to himself before he followed out after her and made his way to the drawing room.


	3. Trouble

**A/N** - Chapter Two, Chapter two! Love it, ne? I _may_ have over done it with the whole Guy/Alex thing. but come ON! Isn't he the most adorable EVER? Well, sometimes. You should see the kid when he's an adult.

. . .I'm going off track. Shutting up now!

**Disclaimer **- I don't own ToA. Nope. Sorry. I'm just the fan here, however crazed I am.

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**Chapter Two - Trouble**

Guy and Alex sneaked from behind Luke's room, the blonde swordsman looking from left to right to make sure the coast was clear; Alex mimicked him. When the elder of the two thought it was safe, he came out from behind and ushered for Alex to do the same before leading the child to the center of the courtyard, where a make-shift practice dummy stood. "Alright. What do you wanna start with first? Fonic artes or strike artes? Or maybe just the basics to get you warmed up?"

"Mm. . .basics!" Alex announced. Guy chuckled; he should've figured. The blonde walked over to the nearest bench, where about three wooden swords lay, all in nearly-perfect condition, save for the few dents in them. Guy only guessed that two were for Van and Luke, and the third was a spare. Or, Van may have decided to humour himself and train Alex as well. Oh, well; they wouldn't mind if he used one for the little boy. So he picked one up and tossed it to Alex, who caught it with both hands; it was a little too big for him, but that was okay; he'd deal.

"Alright. Just attack away on that dummy," Guy instructed, and the blue-haired boy nodded. His golden eyes turned on the dummy and he gained an air of concentration around him. Then, immediately, he dashed up to the thing, his wooden sword slashing across and vertically at anything he could get at. The older swordsman had to admire his spirit; at least he was determined. After a few minutes of that, he stopped the boy. "Good. Now, try some strike artes. Well, the ones you know, anyway."

"Okay!" Alex grinned, backing away and gripping the wooden sword with both hands now; he was mainly right handed, but he could use his left if he had to. The boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly and opened his eyes again and dashed forward, holding the wooden sword with one hand before leaping into the air, high, with a boost of third fonons. "_Lightning Slash_!" he yelled, the sword swinging above his head, where he suddenly gripped it with both hands, and slashing down in an arc. He hit the dummy, and at the same time, a bolt of lightning (however weak) hit the creation, singing it and making it smoke a little. But he didn't stop there. No, as soon as he had landed on his feet, he crouched low and mixed in a regular slash upward, jumping into the air. Again, when he landed, he dashed behind the dummy and attacked again. "_Severing Wind_!" he cried, jumping up and twirling as he did so; swirls of air formed and cut against the dummy, causing straw to leak out in some places, but not too much.

"That's enough. You don't wanna slash it up too badly, do you? Luke wouldn't be happy," Guy chuckled, walking up to Alex and placing a hand on the boy's head, ruffling up his blue hair; he was really unique! Not many people had blue hair. Hell, he didn't know anyone who even had blue hair! Excluding Alex, of course. "Let's move on to fonic artes; your all-time favourite! Though instead of the dummy, you're gonna be using me. Try and hit me if you can, 'cause I'll be moving around."

"Yes, sir!" Alex saluted in a military-like pose; some of the nearby guards chuckled in their suits, but not too loudly. Guy barely managed to stifle his own, but he soon walked away from Alex, stopping when he was a good distance away.

"Ready when you are!" the swords man called, hand on his sword's hilt in preparation. And Alex nodded, dropping the wooden sword and holding a fist to his chest, eyes closing as he concentrated; Guy knew that it took a lot of concentration to cast a fonic arte. You had to open your fon slots and draw in the fonons you needed into your body, then carefully control them. Even the slightest mistake could be fatal, if you weren't careful. While he wasn't a fonist, he did have some strike artes that required the use of fonons.

"_Howl, o raging wind, and cleave mine enemies with your blade! Turbulence_!" Alex called out, eyes snapping open and arm thrusting into the air as he let loose the arte he'd been casting. This snapped Guy out of his daze, and the blonde swordsman barely dodged the spell, rolling out of the way but quickly getting to his feet. Before he could say anything more, though, Alex had already begun to cast another arte, and this time, Guy prepared; he wasn't going to get caught off guard this time. "_O raging wind, strike down mine enemies! Wind Blade_!" he called out this time, and several thousand (or hundred; Guy couldn't tell) blades of air formed visibly above his head and the swordsman had to dash around to avoid the onslaught, though now he was curious; that attack. . .he'd never heard of it before. Had he made it up or something? Then again, the kid _was_ originally from a different family.

"_O mighty explosion. Energy Blast_!" Alex targeted Guy and the swordsman took a direct hit, having spaced out. Pain forced him down onto his knees momentarily.

"G-Good job. . .let's not continue," Guy said, laughing weakly.

"I'm sorry," Alex apologized before he came up to Guy and knelt beside him; he looked to be okay, but he wanted to make sure. So he stood up and concentrated again; "_O healing power. . .First Aid_!" A warm green light surrounded Guy, taking away the pain as it vanished momentarily. "Sorry," the boy said again, quietly.

"Don't worry about it," the swordsman smiled, standing up once he knew he was fine. Then, a clapping sound caught both of their attentions, and the two turned around in the direction of it; Dorian General Van Grants was standing in front of the west door, clapping, and they knew that he'd seen them.

"Impressive, to be able to use fonic artes of that level at your age," he complimented, walking over to Guy and Alex. "Have you been holding out on me during our training?"

"Maybe a little," Alex admitted cheekily.

"Does Luke know?"

"Of course!"

"I mean about your ability to use the Seventh fonon." The blue-haired boy tilted his head in curiousity, and Van chuckled; the boy didn't know? Well, wasn't that interesting. "First Aid is a healing arte, which requires the seventh fonon."

"Oh." Alex blinked, looked from Guy, who had a proud smile on, and Van, who wore a warm one. The little boy felt overwhelmed, blushing faintly before quickly ducking behind Guy and hiding. Both swordsmen laughed before continuing on with their conversation which Alex didn't care much about. Of course, while he hid, he did catch some information he would have never learned before. Like the fact that Van and Guy were childhood friends, by the sounds of things; they were talking about adventures together! But then, the conversations turned serious, and Alex lost interest. But pretty soon, the blue-haired boy spotted the red hair of his master around the same area Van had come out of, watching the adults curiously; eavesdropping, probably.

But Pere broke his cover by calling, "Ah! Master Luke!" Said redhead flinched, and Van and Guy stopped talking, both turning and facing Luke.

"Luke. . .so, are you ready to begin your training?" Van asked as the Fabre walked over.

"Yeah!" Luke instantly got excited, and Van walked over and grabbed the wooden swords from the bench, holding one and tossing the other to the redhead. Said noble quickly shifted it into his dominant hand, his left, and prepared himself. Guy tapped Alex on the shoulder before ushering the boy off to the side, where they both sat on the bench to watch the training session.

But just as Luke and Van were about to begin their training, and just before Alex made it to the bench, a voice echoed across the courtyard. The melody it carried was soft and entrancing, inviting all those listening to simply lay down right then and there and rest. In fact, some the guards that had been watching had already done so, their weapons laying beside them. Guy, who had jumped up from the bench and prepared for action, was having a hard time staying up on his feet, and Alex had already collapsed onto his knees and was shaking as a mass of third fonons surrounded and attempted to protect him, a latent ability that he had no control over, despite the pain it sometimes brought him. Even Van could faintly feel his own energy drain from him; only one person could do that to him.

"I've finally found you, Vandesdelca!"

Luke looked up at the source of the voice, as did Alex, but they barely managed to find it before it vanished again, the brown blur moving from the roof to the courtyard, with tan hair flowing behind her, a glint catching the eye of the blue-haired child-servant as her knife reflected the sun. It wasn't her only weapon; a staff was in her other hand.

"Prepare to die, traitor!" she cried, dashing up to Van and slashing at him. The Dorian General barely had time to bring his sword up and block her strike, but the intruder wasted no time and dodged his counterattack, getting in behind him.

"Tear. . .I knew it." Alex was confused; did Van know her or something? But then. . .if he did, why was she attacking him?

"Who are you!?" Luke demanded, his training sword swinging down on the unknown enemy without waiting for a response; the third fonons around Alex grew stronger and the child flinched, clutching his sides and trying to focus; to dispel them. But even Guy's comforts weren't helping, and the blonde had to make sure Luke stayed safe. The tan-haired woman easily spun around, her staff meeting with Luke's sword and blocking his blow, but as soon as their weapons touched, a bright light enveloped them and Luke was soon consumed by the agony of an all-too familiar head-splitting pain.

"_**Resound. . .the will of Lorelei shall reach you. . .and open the way. . .**_"

"It's that damn voice again," the redhead grunted, trying to fend it off.

"_**Release your power. . .**_"

"The Seventh Fonon!?" the girl exclaimed in shock as the mass of fonons engulfing them only grew more and more at a faster rate. Alex managed to push away the mass of third fonons serving as a painful barrier, though he still couldn't get up; from shock or the lingering effects of the song from earlier, he didn't know. The light in the center of the courtyard completely engulfed the tan-haired intruder and the red-haired young noble before vanishing altogether, dispersing into fonons that glittered in the sun's light.

Van, Guy, and Alex all stared at the spot that the two had been, the latter two completely wide-eyed with shock; no. . .no way. What just happened? Where did they _go_?

"They're. . .they're gone!" Guy said slowly, then quickly standing up and dashing up to the spot Luke and the intruder had been just moments before. Alex couldn't blame the blonde; it had happened so suddenly. One moment, everything was fine. The next. . .Luke had vanished with a would-be assassin; who wouldn't be worried!

"How could this happen!? Where did you go!? **LUKE**!"


	4. Mission Time!

**A/N** - CHAPTER THREE! Fast, furious. . .and this might end my spree of updating for the next. . .month. Damn grades. . .HATE THEM! But fear not, for I shall, indeed, improve them. Or, I won't be able to get into Journalism. And I want to, oh-so much ;;

Oh, and -ahem- excuse Natalia's up-coming torture. Though I do picture she did that to Guy at one point.

**Disclaimer** - Don't own ToA. Nope. Nada. In no possible way. But I'd buy it from Namco in a heartbeat if I could!

* * *

**Chapter Three - Mission Time!**

Luke... she'd heard that name being yelled out somewhere in the middle of the battle, she was sure. She was knelt down beside the sleeping redhead, taking in his form before standing and looking around their surroundings. It looked to be a flower field of sorts, but because of how dark it was she couldn't tell where. At least the moon was out as a guidance, and they weren't submerged in _total_ darkness. She turned her gaze back on the still male.

She couldn't tell if he was fast asleep or unconscious, kneeling beside him again to brush some strands of his hair out of his face. She should try to wake him up so they could get moving, start to figure out where they were. She was by no means weak, but attempting to carry him was out of the question. Who knew how far they'd have to walk, after all. First she tried to shake him, see if she could stir him out of his slumber. There was, naturally, no luck with such a gentle tactic. She tried a little more forcefully, huffing in annoyance and he remained unchanged. She didn't have time for this... _they_ didn't have time for this. She was in no mood to play babysitter.

"Luke!" she finally called, loud and clear, authority and irritation in her voice. She didn't think it would work, ready to just go and grab some of the nearby water and dump it on him. The chill would probably work better than her yells. Yet as she stood he finally stirred, causing her azure-blue eyes to widen slightly. She hadn't expected it to work so well... still, this solved one of their problems, easily.

"Oh, good! You're awake. You aren't injured, I hope?" she asked, smiling softly as she began examining him a little bit; Luke stiffened a little. The woman occasionally said something that he didn't hear, and he admitted that her voice was softer than he'd have thought (for someone trying to kill another, anyway), but soon, Luke had had enough.

"Argh! I'm fine, okay!" he yelled, abruptly standing up and pushing her away while backing up a step or two away from her examining hand. "What the heck happened, anyway? And who the hell are you?"

"My name is Tear. And it would seem a hyperresonance occurred between us," she answered him patiently; she stood up as well, picking up her staff at the same time and folding her arms.

"A. . .hyperresonance?"

"A hyperresonance. An isofonically induced resonance between fonons," Tear explained, leaning in close to Luke, who backed up a little; s-she was close. A little too close. Like she was examining him or something. "I didn't expect you to be a seventh fonist as well. That was careless of me. But that would explain why the royal family is protecting you."

"Gah, shut up for a minute! I don't understand a thing you're saying!" Luke yelled again, causing Tear to shut up. He scowled as she simply looked at him, apparently obeying his request. "Don't throw confusing words at me all of a sudden!" More silence; okay, now he was irritated again. "Well, say something!"

"First you tell me to shut up, now you're telling me to talk? That makes a lot of sense," Tear said slightly sarcastically, earning a glare from Luke. She only met his glare with a simple, almost _bored_ look before turning around and starting to walk. "We'll save the explanation for later, then. Since you don't know anything, it'd just be a waste of time."

"H-Hey! Don't just go on changing the topic!" Luke protested, running to catch up with Tear, who had surprisingly gained a lot of ground in a short time. "I don't trust you, you know!"

"If you'd rather stay out here, in the wilderness, at night, then that's fine by me. But it's not especially smart." Tear then fazed Luke out, his voice becoming but a simple buzz as he whined and complained. And she was stuck with him until she could take him home. How wonderful. But soon, they were walking away from the flower field, off to find the exit of where ever they may be.

* * *

In the Fabre manor, everything was in chaos. Messengers were running in and out of the place, guards were assembling in the front, and the Duke was barking orders at them. _It's like the kidnapping all over again_, Guy noted. The blue-haired boy had watched as the guards ran by, obviously frantic. At one point, Guy had to snatch the little guy up because he'd almost gotten trampled. He really was pretty small. So now, they were sitting and waiting in the room he, Pere and Alex shared, despite there being only two beds (how he'd gotten stuck sharing one with the child, he'd never dared to ask). Alex was having a fun time creating little miniature blades of wind, that apparently didn't need a spell to be manipulated, from his spot on the bed.

"Gailardia?" a maid called as the door to the room opened; Guy jumped, and Alex snickered, though the boy shut up after a glare from the blonde servant.

"Y-Yes?" the swordsman answered.

"His Grace requests your presence in the drawing room. Alex is to come as well," she informed.

"Okay. Thanks." The smile Guy flashed her seemed to make the maid blush. She quickly bowed (for some strange reason; probably habit) and left the room.

"Alright! We get to do something!" Alex cheered, instantly jumping up and making to dash for the door. But he yelped as soon as Guy snagged him before he had the chance.

"Yup. We do. But settle down, okay? We don't need the Duke yelling at you," the blonde said calmly. As soon as the blue-haired child nodded, Guy smiled a little bit before the two set off out of the room and towards their destination. The guards, the swordsman noticed, all glared as they passed for one reason or another. This didn't make anything any easier-

"Guy!"

-especially when an all-too familiar voice stopped the blonde servant in his tracks; his body froze and stiffened, causing Alex to stop as well; he knew that voice. Oh, he knew it so well. Now, if only it weren't really there. If only it were just some horrible figment of his imagination. But as soon as Alex turned around and beamed, he knew that he wasn't imagining it.

"Oh, Hi, Natalia!" Alex greeted as the Kimlascan princess walked up to the two (Guy was trying _so_ hard not to freak and run as he, too, faced her), flashing a smile to the younger boy.

"Hello, Alex. You're doing well, I hope? My, you've grown up so much in just seven years," Natalia said pleasantly; the blue-haired boy giggled a little, but the strawberry-blonde ignored it as her smile dropped and she looked at Guy with a more serious expression. "And just where do you think you're going?"

"T-To the drawing room, Your Highness."

"I see. Well then." Natalia advanced on Guy, and the blonde took a step back away from her. Then, she suddenly was up and wrapped an arm around his, trapping him forcefully. "No doubt you're going to get your assignment. I expect you to inform me of it before you are to leave."

"O-Okay, okay! Now please, get away from me!" Guy pleaded, his body trembling violently as he tried to squirm away; no good. Her grip was still firm. And all the while, Alex was laughing! That little—he was going to pay when he got the chance!

"Really, you need to get over your phobia. Otherwise, things will be complicated when Luke and I are married," Natalia sighed, letting go of Guy. At once, the blonde servant dashed away from her and behind a pillar, cowering. The Kimlascan princess only looked at her with a small scowl before closing her eyes. "Honestly. You're such a bad example for Alex. What Aunt Susanne was thinking when she appointed you his guardian, I don't think I'll ever understand." Then her gaze softened as she turned to Alex once more, smiling again. "Please, take care on whatever assignment you're given."

"Yes, ma'am!" the blue-haired child said, saluting in the pose he'd seen the guards pose in. The princess let out a small laugh before she set off towards the courtyard, no doubt heading towards Luke's room for one reason or another. When she left, Alex turned to look at Guy, dropping his salute. "She won't hurt you, y'know."

"I-I know that!" Guy's trembling subsided slowly, and soon, he relaxed enough to come out from hiding and back to the child's sigh. "L-Look. It's complicated. Even I don't know why I'm so scared of women," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"And yet, you're a womanizer!" Alex giggled at the look Guy gave him.

"You hang around Luke too much," the blonde sighed before he guided Alex into the drawing room, which they'd miraculously arrived at in one piece.


	5. Onwards!

**A/N** - Ohboy. This took hardly any time. So now, I'm scared. . .ack. . .

**Disclaimer** - As always, I don't own ToA. But Alex is mine. . .MINE!

* * *

**Chapter Four – Onwards!**

Duke and Madam Fabre looked up at the sound of the door opening. In walked Guy and Alex, as predicted. But the thing that most surprised Guy was that _Van_ was there, sitting comfortably at the table; didn't he have to search for Fon Master Ion or something? Oh, well. Best not to inquire now. Maybe later. Both the blonde servant and the blue-haired child stood at attention under the three's presence.

"You wanted to see us, Your Grace?" Guy asked, he and Alex taking a step or two closer to the table the three were sitting at.

"Ah, yes. Please, both of you, have a seat," the Duke ordered, and both did as they were told; one did not cross the Duke, especially in a situation like this. "Good. Now, everyone who was here, excluding myself and my wife, was in the place my son disappeared from with a mysterious intruder. The Dorian General has graciously told me all he knows about her. General Grants, Guy. . .I would like the two of you to search for my son. The White Knights, while much more capable, will cover less ground. The two of you are much faster." Then the Duke turned on Alex, who stiffened in his chair a little bit. "Alex, I would like for you to accompany Guy."

"M-Me? Why, sir?" Alex asked curiously, though still keeping an attentive posture. _Poor kid looks so uncomfortable_, Guy thought, resisting the urge to sigh. Susanne, of course, spotted the young child's uncomfortable posture, and shot a small, soft warning gaze at her husband, who nodded in response.

"You are just as fast as he. And while I know he is an expert swordsman, there are some things he won't be able to do," the Duke explained; Guy stiffened, clenching his hand into a fist in his lap; no. He must not say anything, no matter how much he wanted to. But what the Duke was implying was all-too obvious. "As a child, you may have disadvantages, but you also have your advantages."

"Y-Yes sir!"

"I will be accompanying you as far as the Kaitzur Naval Port," Van informed, earning the attention of the blonde swordsman and the child. "From there, we will travel up and across the Fubras River. That will be where we will split up. I will give you details there."

"Alright. You are all dismissed. Your ship from Chesedonia leaves in two days. Use your time wisely," Duke Fabre spoke. Van, Guy and Alex all stood up, bowed and left the drawing room through the door Guy and Alex had come in. Once in the entrance hall, Van spoke again.

"I will gather any supplies we may need down from the shops. Wait for me at the city's entrance," the Dorian General said before walking right out of the door and leaving the two behind.

"Well, kid. Let's go pack some of our own stuff, okay?" Guy smiled when Alex beamed up at him, though he was startled when the child suddenly darted off in the direction of their shared room. "Honestly. He's gonna wear himself out before he even _gets_ to Chesedonia," he sighed, running a hand through his golden hair. A glance around the room, and he saw the White Knights glaring at him again beneath their heavy armor, and the swordsman cringed; well, that explained_that_. Not doubt they were annoyed that two lowly servants were setting off with the Commandant of the God-Generals to find the second heir to the Kimlascan throne. Oh, well. He'd have to deal with it when he got back. Shrugging off the glares, Guy went off after Alex; he hoped the kid wouldn't _really_ wear himself out.

* * *

Luke and Tear finally arrived at the entrance of the area they were in. Tear had concluded that they were in a valley of sorts, but she still didn't seem to know where they were. And being stuck in a manor for as long as he could remember, Luke didn't know, either. So far, they'd only encountered a few monsters. But still, the amount of suspicion that ran between the two was enough that they were _nearly_ too disorganized to fight. But with Tear's hymns and Luke's. . .semi-decent sword skills, they managed.

"There's the way out," Tear pointed out ahead, ignoring as Luke sagged slightly; he was tired already? Then this journey to get him back home would be painstakingly _long._

"Finally. I'm sick of this place," Luke complained, and Tear had to bite down on her tongue; of course. Why had she not seen that coming? She chose to ignore that comment.

"ARGH!"

Luke and Tear both turned in the direction of the strange sound, looking just in time to see a man duck for cover and hide, a bucket over his head; well, now. That was strange.

"P-Please! Take my money! Take everything I have! Just please, Dark Wings, spare me!" he rambled, obviously trembled.

"The Dark Wings?" Tear inquired.

"T-That's right. They're a group of bandits: two men and a woman," the man explained. Then he looked up and around, taking a closer look at Luke and Tear; realization dawned on his face as he apparently finally noticed something. "But wait. . .there's only two of you. . ."

"Hmph. Don't go comparing me to some pathetic bandit," Luke said, waving a hand as he looked away from him; it was like the sort of thing one would do if there was something unworthy of their attention.

"Yes. You might upset the bandits," Tear said, just loud enough for both Luke and the man to hear.

"H-Hey!"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions," the man apologized, taking the bucket off his head and walking a little bit closer to the couple. "One of the wheels on my coach started acting up. So I came here to draw some more."

"A coach? Perfect!" Luke cheered. Tear resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she stepped in front of the young noble, towards the coachman.

"Does your coach travel to the capital?" she asked politely.

"Yup. In fact, that's my last stop," the coachman answered.

"Then would it be alright with you if we came along?"

"Hm. . .to the capital, it'll be 12,000 Gald a piece."

"That's expensive," Tear commented quietly, thinking a little on their predicament.

"Really? Sounds cheap to me. My dad will take care of it when we get to the capital," Luke said, in as snobby a tone as he seemed to be able to use right at this moment.

"That's no good," the coachman sighed, shaking his head. "I need payment in advance."

Tear thought a little bit while Luke scowled at the coachman, as though it were the man's fault for this predicament. She did have _one_ thing that could serve as payment. But she really, really didn't want to give it up. It was too special. Then again, it was her responsibility to get Luke, who was oblivious to her internal struggles, back to his home in Baticul; she'd gotten him involved in a matter that should have stayed private. Sighing, Tear reached around her neck, fiddling with something momentarily. Luke looked at her curiously, watching as she took a necklace from around her neck; she was wearing _jewelry_? He hadn't expected that. . .

"Will this be enough to handle the fee?" Tear asked, holding it out for the coachman to see. The man picked it up and held the necklace from the clip, high enough so that the jewel was eye-level. His eyes filled with awe.

"Wow. This is some gem," he commented, a grin on his face. He then clutched the necklace into his hand and looked back at Tear and Luke. "Alright. Hop aboard."

"Huh. So you do have some useful stuff on you after all," Luke commented, causing Tear to inwardly cringe; didn't he realize how hard that was to do? "Now I don't have to get my shoes all dirty!"

Luke and the coachman set off toward the spoken-of coach, Tear lagging behind the two as she stared at the ground, holding her hands. That was. . .difficult. But necessary. There was no other way to avoid that.

_I'm sorry. . .Mother. . ._


	6. We're WHERE!

**Chapter Five – We're WHERE?!**

Now, how the hell did things turn out like this? He hadn't even tried. And yet now, here he was, in a cabin on a boat that had taken off from Chesedonia and was heading towards the Kaitzur Naval Port. Next to him, or rather, sleeping in his lap was Alex, snuggled comfortably in his chest. Occasionally, the boy would stir, nuzzling more and more into his chest. Guy swore that, at any moment, there would be a hole right there. It was a puzzling turn of events. One that he wasn't quite sure even Van understood yet.

The three had arrived in Chesedonia in less than a day, having speculated that had there been any sighting of Luke and the mysterious woman (who, the two servants learned, was named Tear and was actually Van's_sister_), the Duke or the King would have learned about it almost immediately by word of carrier pigeon. So, they were headed to Malkuth right away, somehow managing to convince the Kimlascan consulate to send the ship out earlier; it wasn't like anyone else was going to use it. Upon arriving on the ship, Alex was, naturally, ecstatic. His childish innocence showed and he'd taken to dashing around the ship, closely followed by Guy and Van, asking the crew questions here and there. He'd even gone as far as to pester the poor captain that was actually steering the giant mass of metal.

"_Why don't we go to our cabin and relax a little bit?" Guy suggested after pulling Alex away from the captain, who'd probably just had several heart attacks after being surprised by the blue-haired child._

"_Aaaw. . .but this is so cool! I've never been on a ship before and it's_huge_!" Alex said excitedly. Guy laughed a little bit, though he miraculously was able to hold on to Alex; really, the boy didn't need _any_ caffeine or sugar in _any_ time of his life; he was hyper enough without them. Though the blonde couldn't help but be curious._

"_Gailardia is right," Van stated; Guy cringed faintly but Alex ignored the change of name. "We should relax while we are here. Unless someone is purposely trying to interfere with us, we aren't in any danger. And it would be best to gather our strength. We don't know how long we will have to search for Luke."_

_Grr. Fine," Alex pouted, sulking a little as he looked up at Guy and Van. Both men had to look away from the boy; he really had a way of getting to even the toughest of them. Why, even Bernard, the toughest White Knight in the Fabre manor, had fallen prey to the little boy. And the knight hated him!_

After Guy and Van had lead Alex to their cabin, the boy had suddenly collapsed on the ground, startling Guy. The blonde had instantly knelt down to find out what wrong, though a mass of third fonons had surrounded the child's body. It's taken a good half hour before Van was able to get them to dissipate so Guy could at least carry the child into the room and onto the bed. But. . .luck hadn't exactly been on his side lately. As soon as he set Alex down on the bed and made to get away, the blue-haired boy suddenly latched onto Guy and pulled the swordsman onto the bed with strength that no child should_ever_ have in any life time. With a yelp and a bit of a struggle, Guy was at least able to keep the child from crushing him to death.

And what had Van done? Nothing. The Commandant had simply stood there and watched, laughing in the end when Guy succeeded in creating enough space for him to breath. Then. . ._THEN_ the brown-haired man had said something about leaving Guy to enjoy himself. _Enjoy himself?!_ Guy was getting _crushed_ by an eleven year old! How could he _enjoy_ himself?! But, with a heavy sigh, the swordsman accepted his fate, shifting only so that he could sit up comfortably and lean against the pillows with Alex still cuddling into and around him, as if the blonde was his human teddy bear of sorts. Not that he hadn't expected that. Ever since the child had stayed at the manor, he'd always done this, clinging to Guy while he slept. At first, he'd been uncomfortable. But. . .seven years of one thing could easily change habits and comfort. Hell, he would've been surprised if the kid _hadn't_ squeezed the life out of him.

_Fifteen-year-old Guy wandered the halls of the Fabre manor, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Yet another night filled with endless nightmares. So much so that he'd ended up lying in bed for Score-knows-how-long until is stomach decided to act on its own and growl loudly, signaling its hunger. At first, the blonde ignored it. But it only grew louder and eventually, hunger pains were felt so much that he gave in and got out of bed, threw on the closest of his shirts, and trudged out of his room towards the kitchen._

_A lot of the older maids would have gladly woken up to make him something to eat, but he was in no position to wake them up and ask. They were his equals, some even his superiors. Besides, he reminded himself with a cringe, they'd have gone all gaa-gaa on him just because he was so tired and, apparently, incredibly adorable when he was half-asleep. He'd learned that the hard way and he still shuddered to think of that day._

_The young servant eventually reached the kitchen, slowly walking in and turning on one of the nearer (and dimmer) lights. He'd thought he'd heard a strange movement, but immediately dismissed it as his stomach gave yet another loud, painful growl. Nearly kneeling on the ground just to subside it, Guy stepped towards the fridge and began pulling out simple ingredients for a simple sandwich; no need to get fancy. If he did, then he'd just end up making a mess. . .and probably end up torturing himself. He placed a carton full of turkey slices and a packet of sliced cheese, shutting the fridge and then heading to the opposite side of the kitchen and grabbing the loaf of bread, which had already been sliced and was simply covered. Guy really had to hand it to the cooks; they were prepared for everything._

_Once his sandwich was done, the blonde put everything back again and immediately headed out of the kitchen, turning off the lights behind him as he wandered back to his room as quietly as possible. The sandwich was, obviously not very filling, he noted as he reached his room again with a sigh. But at least it had settled his empty stomach. He pulled off his shirt, as it was uncomfortable to sleep in, slipped back into his bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping five-year-old in it as he repositioned himself, one hand slipping under his pillow and the other laying beside his head. Soon, his body was relaxing, reminding itself at just how tired it was and what time he'd have to get up again. He'd _almost_ fallen into a deep sleep when a tight squeeze around his middle startled him._

_Guy yelped, almost too loudly; Pere had stirred. But that didn't concern the blonde teen. He immediately inspected the cause and was unsurprised to find a certain blue-haired sleeping five-year-old snuggling into his bare chest, almost tickling him with his hair. In fact, had it not been for two very important factors, Guy would have been laughing out loud by now. And yet, because of these two facts, which anyone with at least half a brain could figure out, he didn't. In fact, he was trying to gently coax the blue-haired child from crushing the life out of him. But each time he tried, Alex's grip tightened._

_For a good long while, Guy struggled, and Alex only kept tightening his death-like grip (_how_ he had a tight grip like that, he dared not ask). Eventually, the blonde gave up, wrapping his arms around the five-year-old and letting his body relax as much as possible; why bother struggling? Besides. . .the kid was kindda cute like this. . ._

**"We will be arriving shortly in the Kaitzur Naval Port. Gather all of your belongings and prepare for departure."**

The sudden sound of the captain's voice had startled Guy, causing him to jump and hit his head on the bunk bed above his own (shared) one, cursing loudly as a hand instantly went up and touched the sore spot. His actions caused the sleeping boy in his lap to stir and awaken, slowly looking up with half-opened eyes; crap.

"A-Ah. . .sorry. I didn't meant to wake you up," the swordsman apologized, rubbing away the quickly-fading pain in the back of his head. Alex responded by resting his head onto the blonde's chest again and snuggling into it again (Guy would be _**really**_ surprised if he didn't have a hole there yet). But, after a few minutes coaxing, Alex finally got off of his guardian and let him get up. "Right. Thanks." Alex nodded sleepily and, unexpectedly, flopped down on the bed and tried to fall asleep again. Guy sighed; he didn't have time for this. But the boy could be _so_ damn_stubborn_ when he was this tired. Which, admittedly, was rare. But still. "Come on, Alex. We have to get ready to leave." The child still remained where he was, and the blonde groaned; he'd probably fallen asleep again. Well then. This complicated things.

Deciding to address the issue later, Guy began searching around the room, gathering his and Alex's things and packing them into the waist bags they'd brought with them; one for Alex, one for himself. His own bag, though, carried some Apple and Orange Gels, as well as a Panacea Bottle or two, Life Bottles, and some Lemon and Pineapple Gels. It had cost him most of his hard-earned money, but it was definitely worth it; this wasn't going to be an easy job. After packing everything and reattaching the belt-like bag around his waist, the blonde turned and looked at Alex. Now, the child's eyes were closed again. Only overexertion could do that to him. So. . .wait. Overexertion? That little--! Guy took a deep breath and let out a sigh; it wouldn't do to get mad at Alex. What was done was done, but he couldn't help but feel a little betrayed; all those times, the child could've easily told him that he was tired. But nope. Instead, he bottled it in and pushed himself. Again. _It's just one thing after another with this kid_, the swordsman sighed, taking Alex's waist bag and attaching it around him. Then, somehow, he managed to get the child onto his back and was soon walking up to the deck.

It was going to be a LONG search.

* * *

"We're WHERE?!" Luke exclaimed, standing up in the stationary coach; a second coach had been fleeing in the opposite direction of them, followed closely by a landship that was in pursuit. They'd been warned to move, and the coachman did an excellent job of ensuring they didn't get run over. Then, the coach had crossed the bridge that they'd just come from, and as soon as they had, it suddenly blown up! But the landship stopped and avoided the blast just in time. After that, they'd learned that the landship was the Tartarus; one of _Malkuth's_ best landships.

"You're in Malkuth. Why?" the coachman asked from up front.

"Hm. . .I was mistaken," Tear sighed, folding her arms and thinking a little bit.

"How can you be so calm about this?!" Luke asked, completely bewildered and panicked; _now_ how were they supposed to get back home? "How could you make a mistake like that?!"

"I didn't recognize the area. What's your excuse?" Tear retorted, looking pointedly at Luke, who simply leaned back in his seat, arms folded and staring out of the window with a scowl.

"I've never been outside the manor. How the hell _should_ I have known?"

"You two sure are acting strange," the coachman commented, earning a slightly startled reaction from Tear. "Are you two Kimlscan?"

"N-No. We're from Malkuth," Tear hastily said, though thankfully not too hastily. "We have business in Kimlasca, though."

"Oh. Well, that's a shame. If you wanted to go to Kimlasca, you should have taken the road south, instead of crossing the bridge. Mind you, with the bridge out, you can't go back now."

* * *

**A/N** - WOW, that sucks! Poor Luke and Tear. . .though admittedly, I want to rip Luke's head off every time I hear him talk while he's a spoiled, rich, snobby, stuck-up. . .GRR! I really don't have the best name for him during that moment.

Anyway. Read and review?


	7. The Village of Problems: Part 1

**A/N** - I love this. And hey! A review! Neat! To answer it, there may be some Anise/Alex. I know for sure that, as is obvious, there's a Guy/Alex brotherly type of relationship going on. And hm. . .maybe Jade DOES know Alex. . .and maybe he doesn't. You'll never know!

**Disclaimer **- ToA does not belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter Six – The Village of Problems: Part 1**

_What a mess_.

Tear sighed as she and Luke thanked the coachman; he'd offered to take them to the nearest town, which was a little village by the name of Engeve. Luke, being the stuck-up rich boy he'd grown up to be, didn't even thank the man for his troubles!

"If you wanna get back to Kimlasca now, head to the Kaitzur Checkpoint. That's a little ways south of here," the coachman informed. Tear once again thanked him as he left back to his coach to get to his destination.

"A checkpoint. . .we won't be able to get through without passports," Tear said to herself, thinking on their newest predicament; she hadn't thought she'd need a passport, because she was only going to Kimlasca. And she was sure that Luke didn't have one on him, or even anywhere else in his house.

"No problem. If I tell them I'm the Duke's son, they'll let us through in no time!" Luke boasted, once again testing Tear's patience. "But right now, I wanna check this place out. It's my first time in a city!" And so, he dashed off, without even waiting up for Tear. The brown-haired girl sighed; really. He was like a little kid, what with the way he always dashed off without her.

It wouldn't do to lose him, though. Before she lost sight of him, Tear walked off after Luke, who was taking the chance to look at all the sights (as was Tear, though it was less noticeable). But then, as somehow unpredicted, they arrived in the southern part of Engeve, where there were merchants sitting out and selling their products. She did, though, spot an inn nearby, but a group of people had gathered around it already; maybe they'd go later.

"Wow. These apples look good," Luke commented, squatting down in front of one particular store with, of course, apples. He picked one up and tossed it in his hand one or twice. Then, much to Tear's and the store owner's surprise, he took a bite out of it!

"Sir! You need to pay!" the merchant immediately yelled. Luke began tossing the apple up and down again.

"Why do _I_ have to pay?" he asked, once again using his snobby rich-boy attitude that tested Tear's patience so often.

"Luke, you can't just take a store's products without paying!" Tear scolded.

"But the manor pays for everything all at once," Luke stated, and Tear only frowned at him more. Then, realization dawned (finally) on his face. "Oh, right. This is Malkuth. . ."

"Malkuth_or_ Kimlasca, the normal way to shop at a store is to pay for things when you buy it," Tear informed, folding her arms and keeping her firm glare on Luke.

"Right. . ."

"Sir, if you're not going to pay, I'm going to have you arrested!" the merchant threatened, shooting his own glares up at Luke.

"Nobody said anything about not paying!" Luke snapped. Then he looked at Tear for help. "So. . .how does this work?"

Tear sighed; this was going to be a really, _really_ long journey. "Just give him some of the money you got from those monsters earlier."

Luke nodded and did as he was told, asking the irritated merchant how much it was and taking out the necessary amount to pay for the apple and handing it again. Then. . .he walked off. Tear apologized for him, somewhat cooling down the merchant, and then followed the young aristocrat to where ever he seemed to be going.

* * *

"Hm. . .so he's not waking up?" Van asked, looking at Guy curiously as the two walked towards the port's exit. Guy had had to tell Van that the child wouldn't wake up, as it was a bit obvious, what with the blonde carrying him on his back.

"Nope. Though, If I had to guess, I'd say he'll wake up soon," Guy informed the Commandant. And, just as though it were predicted, Alex stirred a little, tickling the blonde as he nuzzled into his back. Then, the blue-haired boy lifted his head, sleepily looking at the two men. "See? Now, he's awake!""

"Alright, Gailardia. At any rate, let us get going. We do have a mission," Van sighed, once more checking that they all had their belongings as Guy let Alex get off him. The boy, at first, stumbled, but within a few moments, he was his happy, perky self again. And so, after Van talked with one or two of the Kimlascan guards that were at the port, the three finally set off towards the Fubras river at a quick and steady pace.

* * *

"Hey. . .I wonder what's going on," Luke questioned as he and Tear neared the inn. About three people were grounding around the entrance, all talking furiously with one another so much that neither of the two could make out what was being said. Curious, Luke stood in the very back of the crowd, which in turn forced Tear to stand next to him; it wasn't like she could just leave him on his own in this village. Then, after a few minutes of waiting, a man walked out of the inn, looking depressed and defeated.

"Nothing. Everything's gone. The storehouse was completely cleaned out," he sighed, folding his arms and leaning against the closed door.

"This isn't the first time this has happened, Kelly! At the rate all this food is disappearing, we won't be able to make enough to support ourselves!" one of the crowd members spoke up. Tear smacked a hand to her forehead; this was one of those perfect moments where Luke would speak up, act like the spoiled kid he was, and possibly get into trouble.

"It's just food. Why not go out and buy some more?" Luke asked irritably, obviously feeling a little let down. _I knew he'd do that_, Tear thought, sighing. It _was_ predictable, after all. All the crowd members turned and looked at Luke, who didn't even flinch; oh, great. Trouble. Again. In less than an hour.

"What do you mean, just food?" one of the men demanded, glaring at Luke.

"We break our backs every year just to grow food!" another shot out. Luke didn't even look fazed, simply looking at the men as they went on some sort of rant on how important the food they made was. Then, unexpectedly, the merchant that Tear and Luke had had trouble with earlier ran over; wonderful. He'd probably heard all the commotion.

"Hey! I heard Kelly's place was hit by the food thief, too!" he explained as all the men looked at him. Then, he caught sight of Luke, and realization seemed to dawn on his face. "It's you! So! You couldn't just steal from me, you had to steal from everyone else, too!"

"W-What?_You're_ the thief?!" Kelly asked, though it was more of a shocked statement.

"They always say the criminal returns to the scene of the crime!"

"That's it! We're taking you to the authorities!" And before Luke could muster up any protest, he was grabbed and shoved along to where ever the authorities were held. Tear only watched and sighed, looking at the ground; they'd stripped him of his weapon somehow. Admittedly, it was only a wooden sword, but it was done a good job so far. But there was no chance he could manage with just that. The brown-haired girl bent down and picked up the forgotten weapon, carrying it in her arms as she followed after the group. _Letting him get arrested here might actually do him some good_, she thought to herself.

* * *

Why, oh, WHY did they have to reach the Fubras river so fast? They'd arrived, crossed it, and on the other side, Van had immediately split up from them. Now, Guy and Alex were running along the plains, towards any which direction that seemed logical. And yet, for miles, as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but plains and grass. And monsters. Lots and lots of monsters.

Alex just got done casting Turbulence after Guy had struck a boar that they'd stumbled upon. . .or rather, _it_ had crashed into _Guy_, and was now thoroughly angered by the blonde and proceeded to rip him to shreds. The swordsman jumped out of the way just in time as Turbulence was cast, the arte successfully striking the animal and reducing it to a pile of shredded flesh.

"I gotta say that you're really improving on you. . .err, fonic strength," Guy said lamely, earning himself a laugh from Alex as the child hopped up to Guy again.

"And you're getting old. You got knocked down so easily!" Alex teased, ignoring Guy's protests as he hugged him tightly around the middle. "Come on, then! I think I heard something somewhere a bit North of here."

"Alright, alright," Guy sighed, prying away the eleven-year-old and setting off again in the direction he led him. The kid was a lot more useful than he'd thought. Normally, he wouldn't let Alex help him in the manor because he'd thought the kid wasn't strong enough or would just get in the way. And yet, he seemed to know where he was going. 

After a while of running, Alex stopped suddenly, and Guy struggled to do the same. At first, he was going to ask what was up. But it was plain as day what had caught the child's attention. There, standing just outside of the village up ahead, was a landship. A really, really, REALLY big landship. Malkuth soldiers were gathered around outside it, all standing at attention at a little girl. From this distance, Guy could tell how old she was, but he was sure he didn't want to get messed up with her right now. The most obvious thing he could see from his position was that she wore a _lot_ of pink and that her hairs were tied up in two pigtails.

"Come on. Let's ask around in the village. We might find them," Guy suggested, taking Alex's wrist and pulling the child along with him as the two entered the village.


	8. The Village of Problems: Part 2

**A/N** Ha. . .two Ch's! Enjoy XD**  
**

**Disclaimer** - ToA is Namco's property

* * *

**Chapter Seven – The Village of Problems: Part 2**

Luke was shoved all the way to one of the biggest (yet still small) cottages in the village. Kelly and his men opened the door, then one of them kicked Luke in. The noble fell hard on the ground on his front, letting out a small string of curses. Shortly after, the men entered, surrounding Luke. Kelly lifted him up by the back of his jacket off the ground, looking positively ecstatic as his apparent success. Behind him, the three other men from the store house and Tear, who was holding Luke's stuff.

"Rose! We caught him!" Kelly shouted into the house, where a short, stout woman with short red hair and black eyes was standing, talking to a man with long, brunette-colored hair down to his shoulders and crimson-colored eyes that were framed by the rectangular-shaped glasses on his face, wearing a blue uniform from the Malkuth military, one of a high-ranking officer; his composure and demeanor told them he was no mere soldier.

"Hush!" the short stout woman—Rose, apparently—said quickly, walking up the new group. "We've got an important guest from the military."

"But we caught the guy stealing all the food! We think he might be with the Dark Wings!" Kelly explained. At this, Luke got annoyed, and somehow managed to smack away the hand holding him up and landing on his feet carefully.

"I'm telling you, I'm not your damn thief!" Luke snapped, glaring at the group of men with his hands on his hips. "Do I _look_ like I'm going hungry to you?" At this, they all seemed to fall silent; he looked far from starving.

"My, my. What a lively boy," Rose commented, walking up to Luke.

"Yes, indeed." The military officer turned and faced the group. Rose said something then proceeded to take the cup of. . .whatever was in the cup from the man and put it in her sink. "I'm Colonel Jade Curtiss, Third Division, Malkuth Imperial Forces. May I ask you what your name is?" he asked, looking more at Luke than Tear or the other four men.

"I'm Luke. Luke fon—"

"Luke!" Tear snapped out suddenly, dropping Luke's weapon and snagging him in her reach, turning him so that the two were hidden from view of anybody.

"What's your problem?" the noble asked, looking back at the brown-haired girl with a slightly bored look.

"Your father, Duke Fabre, is one of Malkuth's greatest enemies," Tear explained, keeping a firm grip on Luke. "There are plenty of people here you have had family killed by your father. You wouldn't want any unnecessary trouble, would you?"

"Is there a problem?" Jade was looking at them suspiciously, and Tear took that as her cue to shove Luke aside and turn to face him.

"Forgive me. I'm Tear. He's Luke," she introduced.

"Ah, I see. So, you're with this man suspected of being with the Dark Wings?"

"We're not with the Dark Wings. The real Dark Wings were forced to the other side of Rotelro Bridge by the Malkuth military."

"Ah, so you were on that coach from earlier?" Jade asked curiously, earning himself a confused look from just about everyone in the vicinity.

"Colonel, what's this all about?" Rose asked first, breaking the semi-awkward silence that fell everyone.

"Just as Tear said," Jade started as pushing his glasses up his nose with two fingers of his right hand. His left was, much to Tear's surprise, in his pocket, "The bandits known as the Dark Wings fled toward Kimlasca and blew up the bridge in the process."

"Ah, I see." Rose nodded in response to Jade, who was now looking straight at Luke. The noble was, of course, more interested in picking up his forgotten weapon and strapping it back on, then folding his arms and scowling at just about everyone in the room.

"Excuse me?" Everyone turned as a boy with green hair and jade-coloured eyes stood in the frame of the door, holding something in his hand. His green robes were intricately designed, and to any normal person, appeared uncomfortable. "I heard about the commotion. So I went and checked the storehouse myself. I found this in the corner of the room." He held up the hand holding whatever he was holding and opened it up. Rose walked towards him and examined it; it was a small mass of blue fur.

"Hmm. . ." The woman picked some of it up and looked at it closer; everyone was holding their breaths in anticipation. "This is fur. . .from a sacred cheagle."

"Yes," the boy said, nodding. "They may have been the cause of all the stolen food."

"See! I told you I wasn't a thief!" Luke snapped at Kelly, who scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I see. . .Well. I believe you all have something to say to this boy and his friend?" Rose inquired, scowling pointedly at the four villagers, each of which were fidgeting uncomfortably on the spot.

"I'm sorry. . .with all the robberies lately, I've been a little on edge," Kelly apologized, turning away from Luke.

"I'm sorry," two of the others spoke.

"I'm sorry I made the situation worse. . ." the fourth finally said.

"Well, then, boy? Do you think you could forgive them?" Rose asked, looking at Luke with a softened expression.

"I'm not a boy," Luke frowned.

"Oh, my apologies. Luke, could we let bygones be bygones?"

"Yeah, whatever. . ."

"Good. Well, off you all go, now! I have some important things to discuss with the Colonel!" Rose said, shooing everyone out of the house. One by one, Kelly, the three other men, Tear and Luke all filed out of the house. But before the door was shut behind them, Luke looked behind him at the green-haired boy curiously. But before he could do anything more, Tear called him and he turned back and followed after her, the door slamming shut as he did so.

Jade couldn't get it out of his head. There was something about Luke that was. . .different. Much different from a normal human being. . .

Was it his imagination? Or was Luke really. . .

* * *

"Thank you, ma'am!" Alex said happily, bowing to a woman who was standing just outside her house before the child dashed off towards Guy, who was standing nearby and leaning against a wooden pole. The blonde looked questioningly at the child, who shook his head, and the swordsman sighed; the woman had been the fourth person they asked, and so far, no one had seen Luke or Tear. The Malkuth soldiers were dangerously close by, too, and that put him on edge,

"S'cuse me! Coming through!" a girl's voice called. Alex and Guy blinked and looked in the direction of the source, more than surprised to the find the girl in pink that had been with the landship earlier to come charging through at a fast pace. Before either of them could react, she crashed into Alex, knocking the boy over and sending the both of them crashing into the ground.

"Itai. . .that hurt," the boy said weakly, pushing himself up on his elbows slowly, ignoring his body's protests and taking a closer look at the girl on top of him; her jet black curls were contrasting with her pink uniform, which had purple lines on the front drawing out the symbol of the Oracle knights. It was this that told Alex and Guy that she was no ordinary little girl.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" the girl said, lifting her head up and looking into at Alex, then quickly scrambling to get off him. Once she did, she stood up, dusted herself off, adjusted the creepy-looking plush doll that was hanging around her neck, and finally offered out a hand to him. "Here. Let me help you up!"

"Thanks," Alex smiled, accepting the offer and grabbing her hand, letting her pull him up. After he'd dusted himself off as well, he yelped as soon as Guy took a hold of him.

"You're okay, right? Nothing hurts, right?" the blonde asked, kneeling in front of the eleven-year-old and looking at with concern practically covering his face.

"I'm fine, Guy," Alex assured, grinning a little before looking at the girl, who was shifting uncomfortably on the spot. "Hey. . .how come you were in such a hurry, anyway?"

"Hm? Ah, I was looking for someone! A boy, pretty short. Kindda out of it," she explained, raising her hand up to the appropriate height of the person she described; at least a foot taller than her. "Have you seen him? I need to give him something!"

"No, sorry," the blue-haired boy apologized.

"Actually, we're looking for someone ourselves. He's pretty tall, has long red hair and can be kind of an idiot with a big mouth," Guy explained, mimicking her actions and raising his own hand up to Luke's height; just a few inches shorter than his own.

"Mm. . .nope! Sorry! But, let's make a deal!" she suggested happily, hopping up in front of Alex and Guy, looking right into Alex's eyes; the boy backed up a step, a little uncomfortable with the closeness (though it was nothing compared to the internal struggles Guy was having at the present time). "If you see who I'm looking for, come looking for me. If I see who you're looking for, I'll come looking for you. Okay?"

"O-Okay," Alex nodded slowly, as did Guy. "By the way, what's your name? So we know who to look for."

"Oh? My name's Anise! To be exact, I'm Ionian Sergeant and Fon Master Guard, Anise Taitlin!" the girl introduced, smiling. "I'll probably be with the Malkuth soldiers for a little while, so look for them and ask. I'm sure they'll tell you. What about you two?"

"Um. . .I'm Alex," the blue-haired boy said.

"And I'm Guy," the blonde spoke up.

"Nice to meet you two!" Anise cheered, smiling. "Well, I'm gonna continue my hunt and let you continue yours. I hope we can keep in touch!" The girl looked at Alex for a minute longer, who was starting to blush a very faint pink. At that, Anise giggled before taking off in the direction she'd currently been going.

"Well, not that I don't want to search for him, but it's getting dark," Guy sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "I don't want to stay at the inn, though. The fact that the military is here puts me on edge." _So does that girl being a Fon Master guardian. . .what does that mean? Didn't have to look for the Fon master?_

"Okay!" Alex snagged Guy's wrist and pulled him along out of the town, stopping not too far from the landship or town. Together, the two set up camp, each pulling out a sleeping bag (that miraculously fit inside their bags) and setting it up. While Guy gathered up wood for a fire, Alex thought.

Seven years ago, he'd come to the Fabre manor. Seven years ago, he'd nearly been crushed to death by a red-headed ten-year-old who'd lost all of his memories, his abilities to walk and talk. . .just everything. He was a complete blank slate. During those seven years, he learned quickly. And during those seven years, Alex became more and more comfortable with everyone. The only people he avoided, actually, were the guards, though he did sometimes play tricks on them. But that wasn't what bugged the child. What bugged him was what was said seven years ago. Something about his family name. _Argh. . .what was it? Started with a "K", right?_ he asked himself, laying back on the ground in his sleeping bag, hands behind his head; why were things so complicated? He should at least know his family name. It started with a K. . .K. . .no. He couldn't think of it. It was just a complete blank.

"Hey, kiddo. Whatcha thinking about?" Alex looked up at Guy's voice drifted to his ears, the blonde swordsman carrying an armful of wood. "Heh. Got the wood. You know any fire artes?" he asked as he knelt down and dumped the wood on the ground in a neat pile. On cue, the blue-haired boy sat up, thought momentarily, then nodded and turned to face the wood. Guy scooted back out of the way. Within seconds of pure concentration, Alex managed to gather enough Fifth fonons to start a controlled fire, and the two were soon warmed right up. Guy smiled, unfolded his sleeping bag and laid it next to the fire, a little close to Alex, who only looked at him momentarily.

"Come on. Let's get some rest. We've still got a search to do," the blonde sighed, rolling over onto his side and using his arm as a pillow. His eyes closed slowly, and soon, he was asleep. Probably not a deep sleep, Alex noted, but deep enough. There was no way Guy could probably be relaxed right around now, what with Luke, one of his best friends, missing. The two had ground up together, after all. Or rather, Guy chased Luke around the manor while the hyperactive redhead was still recovering from the kidnapping. Alex would always just watch from the sidelines, not wanting to get in the way of things.

Feeling a sudden need for security, Alex crept out from under his sleeping bag and slowly crawled over to Guy, looking at the sleeping blonde's face; he was so peaceful when he slept. And when he was awake, he was strong and fun to be around. Maybe that's why he always hung around him. Carefully, the blue-haired child crawled into the man's sleeping bag and snuggled into his chest, careful not to wake the blonde up; it wasn't usually a fun thing. Then, slowly, Alex closed his eyes and let his body relax, falling into a peaceful sleep.

Little did either of them know that they were being watched. . .

* * *

"Tomorrow, we'll head have to head to Chesedonia somehow," Tear planned as she sat on the edge of her bed, watching Luke. The young noble was, much to her annoyance, pacing around the inn room they'd been given. The man named Kelly had apologized for accusing them and let them stay in it free of charge. And while the whole issue of the stolen food had been resolved, the redhead just didn't seem to be able to let it go. It was only a matter of time before he suggested something stupid.

"Say, what _are_ cheagles, anyway?" Luke asked (predictably), stopping his pacing for a moment to look at Tear.

"They're creatures of the Order of Lorelei," the tan-haired girl explained. "The found, Yulia Jue, made a pact with them hundreds of years ago. Their forest is just north of this village, actually."

"We're going there tomorrow."

How had she _not_ seen that coming?


	9. Found!

**Chapter Eight – Found!**

Guy groaned as he rolled over onto his other side and reluctantly opened his eyes. At first, he was wondering why he was so sore. True, his bed hadn't been the most comfortable, but it never caused his entire body to ache. Then, the blonde realized; he was in Malkuth, just outside the city of Engeve, on a search to find Luke, with Alex. Sighing, he forced himself into a sitting position and stretched out a little bit to get rid of any stiffness or aches. It helped a little, but only just enough so that he wouldn't be skewered if any monsters decided to attack. "Alex. . .you awake?" he asked, barely concealing a yawn as he looked in the direction the boy had been sleeping in. The sight he saw. . .was something he had totally_**not**_ expected.

Alex wasn't there. His sleeping bag was empty, his bag was laying on top of it, slightly open. Wide awake, Guy scrambled up and scanned the area; the boy wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere nearby. And though the blonde doubted that he was anywhere away from the village, he couldn't help but panic as Duke Fabre's parting words haunted him

"_Guy?" The blonde looked up at the mention of his name, turning in the direction of his door, where Duke Fabre stood. He looked serious, with his arms folded. Alex had already packed and was off waiting in front of the entrance, probably._

"_Yes, sir?" asked the servant, straightening up to a suitable posture. He did fear the man, after all._

"_While you and Van are separated, report to him at least once every two days by carrier pigeon. He will then alert me of anything important," the Duke informed as he stepped over to Guy and closed the door behind him; he didn't want to be over heard. This was a private matter, one that only few of the servants actually knew of. And Guy was one of them._

"_Yes, sir," the blonde bowed, though he couldn't help a questioning glance as the Duke shut the door. And another question was begging to be let out before it drove him insane. "Your Grace, may I ask why you're allowing Alex to accompany me?"_

"_Ah. I knew you would ask." The Duke sighed, looking out of one of the only two windows in the room as Guy took the chance to straighten up again. "Had I not let him, he would have come after you, whether I knew it or not. And also, he seems. . .attached to you." Guy shot another questioning glance at the Duke, though it quickly vanished when the powerful man looked him in the eye. "That, and there are other reasons. I trust you remember the events of seven years ago?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Good. Then while he is under your care, keep his identity hidden. Some of the other nobles are getting suspicious while others already know and are pestering the King and me about it. If word of it got to Malkuth, we would be in a serious bind. Understood?"_

"_Yes. . .sir."_

Guy groaned and smacked a hand to his forehead; the Duke would have his head if he lost the kid. The blonde swore out loud before quickly packing up his and the kid's stuff, attaching his own around his waist and slinging Alex's over his shoulder and, after reattaching his sword, quickly set off into the village.

If Tear didn't know any better, she'd guess that Luke was naturally an early riser. By the time she herself had woken up and gotten ready, he was standing there, arms folded, foot tapping with an impatient scowl on his face. He also had, in his hand, his wooden sword. But attached behind him was another sword and in a sheathe; probably one better suited for combat. Without a word, the two made sure to buy some apple and orange gels while Tear thanked the innkeeper for the room. But before they had even left the village, something collided into the girl's back, though she was thankfully able to keep her balance. Upon instinct, she spun around and drew out a knife, ready to strike. But what she saw surprised her.

Sitting on the ground, muttering several inaudible words was a small boy with bright-blue hair. Beside him was a paper bag and several of its scattered contents, which were (Tear noted with a pang of guilt) various pieces of fruit and vegetables as well as some meat and bread. There was even a water bottle or two in there; surely it was too much for such a small kid. Which led Tear to think that it wasn't just for him. Oh dear. . .

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Tear asked as she knelt down by the boy and helped make sure he was alright. Luke rolled his eyes and didn't even bother to look at him, earning himself a small glare from Tear.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," the boy muttered as he quickly gathered up the items that were covered which (Tear was relieved to know) was quite a few of them. As soon as the boy had done that, he adjusted the cloak that was around his shoulders, making sure it was comfortable, before he picked up the bag full of items and looked up at Tear. Then his eyes widened. "It's you!" he gasped. The girl looked at him questioningly as he looked up at Luke, next. "Luke!"

"Hm?" The redhead looked down at the boy when his name was called, eyes widening when he realized who it was. "Alex?!"

"We finally found you!" the blue-haired boy cheered, beaming happily before he buried himself behind the paper bag, obviously trying to conceal the overwhelming joy. When he looked up again, he looked from Tear to Luke. "Never thought you two would be here. Ah! And your dad's worried, you know! So was Van. We split up from with him at the river."

"Master Van's here?" Luke asked, completely surprised. The tan-haired girl was also surprised, though she was having quite a difficult time keeping her composure the more she looked at Alex; he was small, a child, and he looked so. . .cute. The boy noticed her staring at him and took a step away a little bit, feeling uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Van's looking, too. Ah, and so is Guy! Actually, I kindda left him at our camp outside the village to get breakfast. Hope he hasn't woken up yet," the child sighed, shifting uncomfortably on the spot.

"Well, we were just—"

"I'll go get him!" And before either Luke or Tear could protest, Alex dashed passed them in the direction that apparently the camp he shared with Guy was.

"S-Should we have told him where we were going first?" Tear asked, standing up as she watched Alex disappear from sight; she noted a small design on the back of that cloak of his, and while she hadn't seen it clearly, she felt like she'd seen it somewhere before.

"Probably. Oh, well. Let's get going to the woods," Luke shrugged as he turned and started walking towards said woods.

"B-But what if they come back and don't know where we are?!"

"If Guy woke up while Alex snuck off, then they're gonna be stationary for a while. Trust me."

Tear looked in the direction Alex had vanished from, fighting against her urge to stay and her urge to follow after Luke, just so he didn't get hurt.

"What did I tell you about running off!" Guy scolded, looking down on Alex with an angered expression. "Soldiers won't go easy on you just because you're a child. Do you even know how worried I was?"

"I was just getting food for us," Alex defended, trembling slightly; he hated getting yelled at. It freaked him out. Especially when Guy or Luke got mad at him. "Besides, I—"

"You could've at least left a note or something!"

"I know, but—"

"The Duke would have my head if I lost you!"

"Okay, Guy, but—"

Guy folded his arms and turned away from Alex, picking up the kid's bag and handing it to him. "Come on. Let's keep searching around here. The sooner we finish here, the sooner we can get away from that landship." And without even listening to what Alex was trying to say, the blonde picked up his own pack and headed off into the village, leaving Alex to stand there. The boy groaned, then suddenly kicked at the ground, upsetting some pebbles; the man never listened! Especially when he was like that! Sighing, Alex adjusted his bag slightly, transferring over the food from the paper bag into his stronger one before abandoning the paper bag and chasing after Guy.

The boy could only hope that Luke and Tear were still there when they got there.

* * *

**A/N** - Ick. a bit short. Reviews are loved!


	10. Lost Again

Cao- Gonna do something a lil different. Alex! Do the disclaimer!

Alex - What? No way!

Cao - I can kill you off right here and now!

Alex - . . .Fine. Cao does not own ToA, Namco does. Happy?

Cao - Very XD

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Lost Again. . .**

So. They'd finally made it to the Cheagle Woods, huh? But. . .now, she had a question to ask; where was the first place to look for a cheagles? The woods were no doubt large, and unless they knew where they were going, they were bound to get lost. That's when something caught Tear's attention; the same green-haired boy from yesterday was surrounded by several wolves, each looking hungrily at him. And he looked to be exhausted.

"Hey. . .that kid's in trouble!" Luke pointed out, and Tear swiped up a knife from one of the holders around her legs, ready to jump in and save him. Luke was, also, but before either could make a move, a large fonic glyph suddenly appeared underneath the boy and the wolves, with the boy being in the center. He raised his hand (which, the two noted, was glowing _brightly_) then slammed it into the ground. At once, a burst of light shot up, engulfing the wolves and the boy. A moment later, it vanished. . .as so did the wolves, having obviously been disintegrated. The green-haired boy, though, looked fine. He stood up, wobbled a little bit, then fell back onto the ground on his back.

"Woah. . .hey, you okay!" Luke called as he and Tear dashed up to the boy. Tear gently lifted him up into a half-sitting position, his head resting in her lap while Luke just stood, hovering overhead.

"I-I'm fine. I just used too strong a Daathic fonic arte," the boy said hastily, quickly getting up from the ground and dusting himself up; Tear followed suite, and the traveling couple watched as the boy turned and faced them. Then, realization dawned on the girl's face.

"Fon Master Ion," she breathed out; Luke caught it and looked more closely at the boy.

"_You're_ the Fon Master?" he asked.

"Y-Yes. I am," Ion confirmed, taking a small step back out of embarrassment.

"Huh. . .I heard you were missing. . ."

"Hmm. . .but he doesn't look as though he's been kidnapped," Tear mused, folding her arms and walking up to Ion. "Fon Master, what brings you all the way out here?"

"Well, since the cheagles are the cause of the stolen food, I thought I'd investigate," he answered, smiling slightly as he glanced from Luke to Tear, then just kept them both in his vision. "The cheagles are peaceful creatures. It's not like them to steal food. And they are the sacred beast of the Order, after all. By the way, who're you?"

"I'm Luke," the redhead introduced, pointing at himself.

"Luke. . .That means 'the light of the sacred flame' in Ancient Ispanion. That's a nice name," Ion commented, causing Luke to blush extremely faintly.

"I'm Locrian Colonel Tear Grants, First Platoon, Oracle Knights Intelligence Division, under Grand Maestro Mohs's command," the girl stated, taking on a more suitable posture for a soldier.

"Ah. . .you're Van's younger sister, aren't you?" the Fon Master inquired, tilting his head to the side a little. Luke, though, was shocked.

"Wait, you're Master Van's _sister_?" he repeated questioningly, staring in disbelief at Tear. Then he took on a frown and glared at her. "Then what was with you trying to kill him?!"

"Kill him!?"

"I. . .Well. . ." Tear struggled for words, startled at the sudden ferocity Luke had towards her. Before the redhead could pester her further for answers, though, a small squeak was heard off to the east of them and all three of them looked just in time to see a cheagles skipping off in a certain direction, probably to its home.

"It's a cheagle!" Ion exclaimed.

"Come on, we're gonna catch that thing," Luke said forcefully, and before either Tear or the Fon Master could stop him, he dashed off after it, leaving the two behind in the dust. Tear was still uncomfortable; Luke may leave the subject alone and forget about it for a while, but not many people were as. . .forgetful as Luke.

"May I ask what that was all about?" Ion asked, looking up at the knight with a curious and concerned look.

"I'm sorry. . .it relates to my homeland," she answered softly, looking away from the Fon Master. "I'd prefer not to get you or Luke involved."

"Okay. . ." He continued to look at her with concern, but soon, Luke came back into view, scowling at the both of them with his hands on his hips impatiently.

"Come on, it's gonna get away!"

Alex pouted as Guy kept asking the villagers, who most of which said no. The boy was getting irritated; he knew where they were. But the blonde just wouldn't listen! There had to be at least _a_ chance for the child. Just one, itty-bitty chance where he could tell Guy just where exactly Luke and Tear were! Then, his chance came, and he positively beamed.

"A redheaded teenager with a tan-haired woman?" the innkeeper—their current target—repeated. The blonde nodded in response, confirming it. "Actually, they were here just last night. I overheard them talking about heading to the woods just up north. Something about the cheagles. . ." Alex and Guy looked at him questioningly, but he didn't say anything more. "If you're looking for them, then that's where they headed to."

"Alright. Thanks," Guy sighed, grabbing Alex's wrist and pulling the child along, outside of the small inn. "So. We have to get to the woods, to the north. And, at the same time, avoid the Malkuth army. How nice. . ."

"Aw, come on. It's not _that_ bad," Alex pointed out cheerily as the two made their way out of the village and into the plains again, with the elder of the two leading the way. "Think of it this way. Instead of woods, Luke and Tear could be heading to a swamp or something. A big, smelly, icky swamp."

"You_really_ hang out with Luke too much!"

"You know I'm right, though!"

Guy and Alex argued all the way, with the blonde looking exhausted (though he was far from it; just irritated) and Alex beaming happily like the child he was. It would take a while to reach the woods, sure. But at least they had each other for entertainment.

"Argh. . .I can't believe we lost it!" Luke complained as he, Tear and Ion all stopped for a moment to catch their breath.

"_Who_ lost it?" Tear questioned, looking skeptically at Luke. "If I remember right, you were the one chasing it and lost track of it."

"Hey, it was green, like everything else around here!"

"Don't fight," Ion pleaded, looking from Tear to Luke, who were both looking away from each other with arms folded. "We'll find them. Don't worry. Their nesting ground should be up ahead, anyway."

"Fine," Luke sighed, scowling as he took a step forward. Then he turned around quickly and looked at Ion. "Hey. What was that arte you used earlier, anyway?"

"That? That was a Daathic fonic arte. But I'm afraid only Fon Masters of the Order of Lorelei may use those."

"Oh. That sucks. . ." The redhead kicked a pebble off to the side, the thing flying and rolling off into the river that they were apparently following to get to the cheagles nesting ground. "Don't use that again, though. You damn near passed out after it. We'll take care of the fighting, okay?"

"Really? Thank you, Luke!" Ion beamed happily; Luke blushed faintly and looked away in embarrassment again; he wasn't used to compliments like that.

"Come on. Let's go, alright?" the noble said hastily as he turned and started walking again. But Tear put her foot down; was he serious?

"How can you just take the Fon Master somewhere so dangerous?" she asked, glaring at Luke, arms folded again; she was starting to feel like his mother, what with the way she constantly had to scold him.

"He'll only come back here on his own. Besides, do you honestly plan to leave a guy so pale he looks like he's about to die to wander around here all on his own?"

"Sir Luke! I'm so moved! You really are kind!" Ion exclaimed, his jade eyes sparkling (_Is he actually complimenting him?_ Tear asked herself, disbelief written on her face).Once again, the redhead blushed at the compliment; he wasn't used to getting those often. And besides! It was embarrassing!

"N-No I'm not. Now quit saying stupid stuff and let's go!" Luke said loudly before turning around and really walking forward, this not turning around for anything. Not even when Tear called after him to wait up.

Guy remained stiff and quiet, a hand covering the mouth of a squirming and irate Alex, who wanted nothing more than for the man to let him go from this uncomfortable position. But he wouldn't. Not when the Malkuth soldiers were in plain sight. He did _not_ want to get messed up with them. He did _not_. Now, how had they ended up in this position? Well, that was easy enough; they'd made it to the forest, alright. They'd even managed to spot Luke and Tear, as well as a kid with green hair (who fit Anise's description almost perfectly) before the three disappeared from sight. And while they _were_ about to follow them, they heard the voice of a commanding officer and Guy had had to snag Alex and duck behind a random bush.

Unfortunately, the child had loudly protested. Hence why Guy was now covering his mouth with his hand. And he sincerely hoped the boy wouldn't bite him; that wouldn't be pleasant. But Alex wasn't stupid. Just naïve. Letting out an inaudible sigh, Guy reached over with his free hand and parted the bushes slightly, just enough so that he could see the soldiers. The whole army wasn't there; just about four or five. Anise was standing in front of them, facing the same man that the soldiers were facing; a man with shoulder-length brunette hair and crimson red eyes, wearing a blue military uniform for someone of officer status or higher. He couldn't really tell.

Alex looked up at Guy, shooting him a glare that clearing said "Just what on earth are you so cautious about?" But Guy ignored it and waited with his breathe held, trying to catch what they were saying. He wished they would at least talk a little louder. Just a little. It wouldn't hurt anyone! But then, his wish came true.

"Alright. Anise and I will go on ahead," the man said, looking down on the pink-clad girl and nodded. She repeated the gesture, and soon, the two were setting off in whatever direction they had to be going in. It wasn't until the last soldier had disappeared, though, that Guy and Alex finally came out of hiding (very, very quietly). The blonde released Alex, finally, and the boy sent death glares his way.

"Don't look at me like that. But I want you to go after Luke," Guy said, somehow managing to get rid of the kid's glare. "I'll stay here and keep watching. Besides, knowing that idiot, he'll probably get himself into trouble."

"Fine," Alex sighed, as though resigned to the worst. The swordsman looked at him questioningly and the child instantly perked up, saluting as though he were a military officer, "Yes, sir! I will make sure he stays in one piece, even if it costs me my life!"

"You stay alive, too," Guy chuckled, watching as the kid dashed off. Then, he looked around the area for a decent hiding spot. One of the trees was taller and bushier than the others; perfect. Now, all he had to do. . .was wait. . .

And hope that Alex was only kidding. . .

* * *

Cao - Feed my soul and review!!

Alex - . . .She's crazy. . .


	11. Cheagles' Crisis

Cao - ACK! This one is LATE! Ish. . .Kind of. . .not really. . .

-shot- Whatever. Sorry for the slight delay. My imagination is endless but my internet access. . .eh, not so much. Grades. . .school. . .they HATE ME! And so does my mum, when I get bad grades. But then, when I get good grades. . .it's like. . .my bad grades were nonexistent and she loves me again. Creepy .

SO! Without further ado! Chapter 10! Take it away, Alex!

Alex - What?! Oh, fine. . .Cao does not own Tales of the Abyss in any way. But she can always wish and hope and dream.

Cao - . . .Remind me again why I haven't disowned you yet. . .

* * *

**Chapter Ten – Cheagles' Crisis**

"Ah, ha! They did do it!" Luke proclaimed; he, Ion and Tear were standing in front of a gigantic tree with an opening in it, red apples littering the ground. The Fon Master held on, and having examined it, they saw the mark of Engeve in it.

"Yes. It seems so. But I wonder why?" Ion sighed, placing the apple back onto the ground. Tear looked into the tree, a curious expression on her face as she stared intently into the opening.

"There's something inside this tree," she slowly spoke, turning and facing it. Luke arched an eyebrow at her while Ion only smiled faintly.

"The cheagles live inside here. Come on, let's go!" Before either the redhead or the knight could say otherwise, the Fon Master walked ahead. Tear immediately protested and ran after him into the tree, while Luke only sighed and shook his head. _This kid is hopeless_, he thought, taking a step forward to head in as well. But before he could, something slammed against his back, knocking him onto the ground and pinning him there.

"What the hell?!" Luke cried out, squirming to get out from under the thing, finally forcing himself onto his hands and knees and causing the thing to roll off him and onto the ground next to him. As soon as the redhead looked, he saw a giggling boy with blue hair curled up on the ground holding his sides. What the. . .how did. . .that little--! "What're you doing here?!"

Alex laughed a little more, fighting to control himself. After a minute or so of intense glaring from Luke, the child took a deep breath and sighed contentedly, rolling onto his back and sitting up quickly, looking at his master. "I'm here to find you, silly! Oh, and Guy's here, too. But he's at the beginning of this forest. You know, if it weren't for your _super_ red hair, you'd be hard to find!"

"You're one to talk," Luke snapped, glaring at the little boy, who instantly scowled and glared at the young noble. The older of the two only shrugged and stood up, brushing off the dirt and examining himself, making sure his clothes weren't dirty before, after ushering for the kid to follow, walking into the hollow tree.

* * *

Guy sighed, leaning against the main trunk and sitting on the highest and best-covered branch, one leg swinging off his seat. He was bored. Really, _really,_ _**really**_ bored. Why hadn't he gone with Alex? The kid could've easily gotten lost. And if he'd gone with him, then he could have at least had something to do. Of course, he hadn't exactly thought this through, nor expected to be here in the first place. And he _definitely_ didn't expect the sudden splash of water that fell from above him, causing him to yelp at the sudden attack and fall out of the tree, landing on the ground with a thud and groaning.

"Ha! You see? I told you there was someone there!" an unknown voice boasted cheerily, obviously to another. When Guy managed to push himself back up and shake his hair of any dripping water, he noted the two fonists standing in front of him, one grinning goofily to his companion while the other just rolled his eyes. . .and they were both wearing the blue uniform of the Malkuth army. Oh, great.

"Yeah, yeah. I see, I see. I'm not blind, you know," the other snapped, glaring at the former before turning on Guy. "Huh. He looks like a civilian to me."

"If he were a civilian, he'd be back in Engeve! Besides, I spotted him with a little kid wearing a white cape that had the symbol of the third fonon on it. . .well, something close. Reminds me of somethin'. . .but whatever!"

Guy's eyes widened as he listened; oh, _really_ great! In a flash, his hand was on his hilt and he dashed toward the two fonists, quickly drawing out his sword and slashing the first across his chest, catching him off-guard and creating a nice clean cut. The fonist choked, collapsing back as he was struck. His eyes were closed, and apart from the blood that was oozing out of the cut, he would have easily passed for sleeping. The blonde swordsman silently apologized before turning on the second and attacking. But the other had been expecting it and jumped back, narrowly avoiding the bloodied blade. But Guy only looked on coldly at his enemy, pulling his sheathe out of its place on his belt (as it provided a surprisingly good defense) and dashed up to fonist, who had begun casting at that moment.

"_Flame Burst!_" the fonist cried, gathering up a mass of fifth fonons where Guy was currently positioned and letting a blast of fire burst. But the swordsman was too quick, avoiding it easily and closing the distance between him and the fonist.

"Try this instead," he said, quickly sheathing his sword but keeping his hand on the hilt. "_Void Tempest!_" The blonde quickly (and miraculously) unsheathed his sword in the blink of an eye, sending two shockwaves out at the fonist, who took the hit dead on and cried out in pain. He, too, collapsed on the ground, now sporting two shallow cuts that were leaking blood. Guy sheathed his sword for good this time and sighed, straightening up and looking at the two soldiers he'd had to strike down; they weren't dead. Far from it, actually. But. . .if he was to have any chance at keeping the kid's secret from leaking out. . .

With a swift movement, he plunged his weapon in a fatal strike on the fonist. Then he did the same with the other, ensuring their deaths. It was then that he sheathed his weapon permanently and took back to hiding up in the tree.

Well. . .some things just couldn't be avoided.

* * *

"Mieu mieu!"

"Mieuuuu!"

"Mieu mieu, mieu mieu mieu!"

"Please, let us through!" Ion asked, looking down at the ground where several (cute) cheagles stood, blocking their way to the back of the tree, where an old-looking cheagles stood; most likely the elder.

"Wooooow," Alex said in awe, causing Tear and Ion to jump in surprise at the new figure. Ion looked confused but didn't seem to mind. Tear, however, looked irked and annoyed, and as soon as Luke came up behind the boy, she made that perfectly clear.

"Luke, how could you let him come?" she demanded, scowling at the redhead who only looked away from her with a bored expression.

"Don't look at me! He came on his own."

"And why didn't you tell him to go back?!"

"Like hell he'd listen!"

Alex couldn't help but laugh as the couple in front of him argued, but then his attention was taken by the green-haired boy that was looking at him for a moment, then back at the cheagles blocking the path. 

"Please, I just want to talk!" the Fon Master sighed, before turning on Alex, who was looking at him with a curious expression. "The cheagles helped found the Order, along with the Order's founder, Yulia Jue," he explained. Alex nodded, and was about to just go up to the cheagles and kick them aside. But a commanding voice spoke all of a sudden.

"Mieu. Mieu mieu, mieu."

All the cheagles parted at once, making a pathway just big enough for all four of them to walk through to the elder cheagles in the back. It had a ring in its two hands and was a dulled purple, the white of its fur slightly greyish and fur covering its eyes. "What is it you have come here for?" it asked in clear human language.

"W-Woah. That monster talked," Luke stuttered. Tear only rolled her eyes and Ion just started walking towards the elder, standing up straight in a dignified manner.

"That is the power of this ring that was given to us by Yulia," the cheagles spoke, shuffling the ring in its hands and bringing it to attention. "Are you of relation to Yulia Jue?"

"I am Ion, Fon Master of the Order of Lorelei," the green-haired boy spoke; Alex's eyes widened in a mix of awe and happiness. "Am I right in assuming that you're the cheagles elder?"

"That is correct. . ."

"Hey, monster," Luke spoke up; Tear made no further sound while Alex only sighed and shook his head. He really could be a little oblivious to others' feelings. Nevertheless, Luke continued, oblivious to the reactions. "You stole food from Engeve, right?"

"I see. . .so you have come to exterminate us," the cheagles elder said sadly, earning pity from both Tear and Alex.

"I don't understand. Why do you need to steal human food?" Ion asked curiously, though he didn't wait for an answer just yet. "Cheagles are herbivores and there is plenty of vegetation in this forest. So. . .why?"

"To preserve the cheagles tribe. . ."

"Why do you need to preserve tribe with human food?" Alex asked was he walked up to the old cheagle and knelt down in front of it. The elder seemed hesitant, as though bordering on telling something yet not quite wanting to say it. But then, to their relief, it spoke.

"One of our own caused the fires up in the north," the elder began to explain; everyone walked closer to listen. "The ligers that lived there moved down from there to here. . .in order to prey on us."

"So. . .you steal human food for the ligers?" Alex felt confused, tilting his head to one side to mimic that.

"That is correct. If they are not sent food periodically, we cheagles are captured and eaten. . ."

"That's horrible!" Ion gasped. Luke only rolled his eyes.

"If you're weak, you're food, that's how it works," the young noble said irritably, earning glares from Tear and Alex. He was about to say more, too, but the blue-haired child suddenly dashed up to him and tackled him to the ground. "Hey, what the--!" Luke cut himself off, though, as Alex suddenly had a knife up against his throat. And not a regular knife, either; it was one of Tear's knives.

"Grr. . .come on! I dare you to say that again!" Alex snapped, glaring angrily at Luke, who stared at him with a mix of surprise and annoyance on his face. "You can't honestly say that so easily! What happens if all the cheagles are eaten up, huh? _Then_ who'll feed the ligers? They'll probably swarm Engeve next for food and wipe it out completely!"

"So? I don't care what happens to that stupid village. . ."

"That's not acceptable!" Ion protested while Tear somehow pried Alex off of the young noble (_How did he get my knife?_ She wondered to herself) then reprimanded the young child; Ion continued with his own lecture. "Food from Engeve is shipped throughout the entire world; not just the Malkuth Empire. There would be world-wide food shortages without it!"

"Argh. . .alright, alright!" Luke said loudly as he picked himself up and brushed off the dirt on his clothes, glaring at Alex; the child knew he was going to be punished at any moment. But hey, now definitely wasn't the time, right? That was lucky at least.

"Then let's negotiate with the ligers."

". . .Can those liger-things talk too?"

"We can't speak with them directly, but if we take one of the cheagles with us as a translator," Ion began, voice trailing off as he looked at the cheagle elder, who had simply stood by and watched. But now, it hopped forward, carrying the ring in its hangs with it.

"Very well. Then I will lend this Sorcerer's Ring to the one who will be your translator," it spoke to Ion before turning on the cheagle tribe. "Mieu. Mieu mieu. . .mieu." After the foreign words were spoken, a young blue cheagle hopped out from the group of cheagles, bouncing up in front of the cheagle elder and standing there. The elder looked up at the humans. "This child is the one who started the fire up in the north. He will be your translator." Bowing its head in a sort-of imitation of a polite bow, the elder turned on the child cheagle and lifted the ring in its hands shakily over the child's head and trying to place it over his head. It didn't work, and instead, the elder hit him on the head gently. Both tumbled down, the ring falling to the ground beside them. But both stood up after a second and the elder stepped back while the child stepped into the ring and pulled it up. As soon as he did, he turned around and looked around (in order) at Luke, Tear, Alex and Ion, who had all huddled around him. Then, the cheagle looked in the reverse order, jumping as Luke's face appeared closer.

"My name's Mieu. Pleased to meet you!" the blue cheagle squeaked in a high-pitched voice, a happy expression on his face. Tear instantly fell in love with it, looking at it with the kind of expression any other girl would look at something so _cute_. Alex had knelt beside Mieu and was beaming happily as he reached over and cautiously pet him; the cheagle didn't shy away, though he did flinch. Ion smiled but Luke. . .well, being Luke, he had an irritated expression on his face.

"Something about this thing is really annoying," he muttered, trying to keep from saying it too loud. Of course, everyone heard, including Mieu.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" the cheagle hurriedly apologized, squirming uncomfortably on the spot. But the redhead only got more irritated.

"Argh! You're gonna drive me nuts!"

"Whatever, Luke. Whatever. Now, come on! Let's go to the ligers' place!" Alex said happily as he bounced up, picked up Mieu, and ran off with him out of the place. At first, the cheagle was surprised, but soon climbed onto the boy's shoulder and stayed there, clinging tightly so it didn't fall off. Ion laughed a little before he followed, and Tear muttered something along the lines of "how cute," probably due to the fact that two of the cutest beings she'd ever met were now the closest thing to being side-by-side. Luke only grumbled and was the last to follow the three of them.

* * *

Cao - Well?? What'd you think?? Review please! Oh, and prepare for next chapter. It's the fight with the liger queen! And people might call me inhuman but I DON'T CARE! Oh, yes. How many of you like Alex so far? Ah. . .if you only saw his picture. . .well! Too bad! XD

Alex - Do you enjoy being insane and/or torturing your few readers?

Cao - Yes. Yes, I do.


	12. Ligers' Lair

Cao - Lookie! Another update! And this one is. . .long. Like, really, really, really, really. . .long.

Alex - Cao has no life! Ain't it grand?

Cao - I will not hesitate to disown you! Or better yet, I can make you -drum roll- DIE!

Alex - . . .I may be eleven, but _I_ won't hesitate to gut you.

Cao - . . .Okay then. Well, whatever. I get my revenge in this chapter, anyway. Although, I may get abused. . .Alex?

Alex - Cao does not own Tales of the Abyss, no matter how much she wants to and dreams of--

Cao - CUT!!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven – Ligers' Lair**

From atop Alex's shoulder, Mieu led the way to the Ligers' lair. Being in the forest, though, there were occasional monsters that the group of four (technically five) had to fight off. Much to everyone's surprise, though, Alex fought pretty well for his age and Mieu could breathe fire (thanks to the Sorcerer's Ring, anyway). Luke had, unfortunately, dubbed Mieu with a name of his own. "Thing," he called the poor cheagle (much to Tear's "pleasure"). They had no issues heading through the place. Well, the only issues were Luke complaining. . .which everyone thoroughly ignored. But then, an obstacle that they couldn't avoid stopped their movement, and they were now faced with the task of cutting through a river.

"We just cross the river and keep going!" Mieu directed happily, hopping off Alex's shoulder and onto the edge of the river bank.

"Hm. . .I don't see any way to cross," the blue-haired child sighed as he looked down into the river. Ion and Tear also glanced around, but they were met with the same results.

"I guess we'll just have to wade through the river," Ion announced as he neared towards the flowing river.

"What?! My shoes, my clothes. . .everything'll get wet!" Luke instantly protested, crossing his arms and scowling. "No way!" Alex had to turn around and stifle a wave of giggles as he listened to the young noble; he could be much worse than a child sometimes. And coming from him, that was something.

"Fine. Then you stay here," Tear snapped back as she, too, neared the water; she wasn't even looking at Luke and Alex was having a _lot_ of trouble stifling his giggles. It wasn't until he was about to cross the river, though, that he noted a tree on the opposite side of the river. But that wasn't what caught his interest. What caught his interest was the roots of it. . .

"Hey, Mieu. . .c'mere for a sec," the child said, looking at the blue cheagle. Said cheagle looked at him questioningly, said a quick "Mieu?" in question before he was suddenly scooped up in Alex's arms roughly.

"Mieu mieu mieuuuuuu!"

"Sshh! See that tree over there?" Alex pointed at the tree on the opposite side and Mieu looked at it. "Aim at that tree's roots and breathe fire on it." The cheagle nodded hesitantly before he took aim and did as he was told. At once, the roots caught fire, burning up completely. However, the fire didn't spread, and instead, the tree toppled over, as predicted by Alex, towards them, landing on their side of the river and forming a make-shift bridge.

"Huh. Would you look at that?" Luke said as he looked at the tree. "The kid actually figured something out."

"I-It was nothing," Alex said quickly, letting Mieu get down and blushing faintly; he wasn't used to being praised. "Mieu did all the work."

"Indeed. But you did think of the idea first," Tear stated, causing another shade of pink to paint itself on Alex's face; the boy remained quiet after that, and the tan-haired girl couldn't help but smile a little. Naturally, it disappeared before anyone could see it and she turned on Ion. "Shall we be on our way, Fon Master?"

"Alright. Come on Alex, Luke," the green-haired boy said as he immediately hopped onto the tree and walked across with care. Luke followed, then Alex, and finally Tear. But before the child completely crossed, the girl noticed something on the back of the white cape he was wearing; a green symbol, resembling the third fonon. Except. . .no, it wasn't quite that. But it was close. The only thing that threw it off was the intricately designed golden circle around it. And that circle had words within the golden lines. . .words in Ancient Ispanian. . .if only she could see it up close. . .

"Tear?" She snapped out of her thoughts, noticing that she was no longer walking atop the tree. Instead, she was on the other side of the river, with Alex now looking up at her closely; she'd probably stopped walking. "You okay?"

"Y-Yes. I'm fine," she quickly responded before walking past Alex and continuing onward with Luke and Ion, leaving the boy left to stand there, confusion written all over his face. _What's up with her? She knows she's a bad liar, right?_ he thought, watching the three walk off. So far, he'd determined that Ion was the closest to his age while Tear was probably closest to Luke's. Then, Alex snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he'd almost lost sight of the others as they descended into a hole at the base of a tree about a third of the size of the cheagles' tree. He immediately scrambled to follow after them, following the path down and almost smacking into Luke's back as he found the three (four, including Mieu, who was on Tear's head) standing at an opening, staring ahead. Curious, the child looked ahead as well.

He nearly collapsed from surprise.

There, sitting in the middle of an oversized nest, was a liger. And not just any liger, either. This liger. . .was _HUGE_. It could put a dragon to shame! And though he'd never seen any actual dragons, he was sure this liger could compete in size. "W-Wow. . ."

"_That's_ a liger? It's huge!" Luke exclaimed, staring in obvious disbelief. Mieu hopped off Tear's head and stepped forward hesitantly, then looked back at the four humans. After a reassuring nod from Ion and Alex, the cheagle stepped forward even more until he was half-way to the enormous creature.

"Mieu! Mieu mieu mieu mieu mieu! Mieu!" he called in his native tongue, hands pressing tightly against the ring around its belly. The liger remained still. Mieu was about to call out again when the giant creature suddenly moved, bringing its paws underneath itself and standing up, turning its head and facing the intruders. Then, it opened its mouth, seemed to suck in a deep breath, and let out a long, loud roar. The shockwave of it sent Mieu flying backwards, landing on his face in the dirt at Luke's feet.

"Hey, Thing! What did it say?" Luke demanded quickly, looking down at the cheagle. Said cheagle quickly recovered, standing up and making sure the Sorcerer's Ring was fit perfectly around his belly.

"Um. . .she said her eggs are just about to hatch, so go away," Mieu translated expertly. This only increased the young noble's surprise.

"Eggs?! Ligers lay _eggs_?!"

"I was born from an egg, too! A lot of monsters are born from eggs!"

"This is bad. . .Ligers are more vicious when they're guarding their eggs," Tear said calmly, much to Alex's surprise (_How does she_do_ that_?! he wondered). The blue-haired boy searched his body, his face lighting up after his hand closed around something on his back; now that she thought about it, Tear _had_ seen the hilt of something sticking out from under his cape. He tugged on it and slowly pulled out a short sword that fit his body perfectly; well, at least he was prepared to fight.

"Mieu? Could you ask her if they could leave this village?" Ion asked politely to the cheagle after he made sure he was alright.

"She? Why're you so sure it's a she?" Luke asked curiously.

"Liger packs are centered around a giant female; their queen," Tear provided.

"Oh. . ."

"I-I'll try," Mieu stuttered, taking a few cautious steps back towards the liger. Taking a deep breath, he began again. "Mieu! Mieu mieu mieu, mieu mieu!" Again, they all waited. By now, Tear was poised, holding her staff in front of her in a sort-of guarding position, though she looked more ready to cast a spell than anything. Even Luke, pretty much an amateur, was ready with his hand on the hilt of the sword on his back. Again, the liger queen remained silent, as though analyzing the group once again. And again, she opened her mouth wide, sucking in a breath, and roared a long, loud, low roar. The shockwaves were stronger, this time, and some of the boulders up above shifted, falling to the ground around the group.

Except some were particularly close to Mieu. And once was directly above him.

Without even thinking, Alex darted forward and raised his weapon over the cheagle. The boulder collided with it, the impact nearly causing him to fall to his knees.

"T-Thank you!" Mieu squeaked, looking up after he realized he was safe.

"No problem!"

"S-She said she's going to kill us. . .and feed us to her children," Mieu hastily translated to them back as the liger queen stepped toward them slowly. Alex sheathed his sword and scooped up the cheagle quickly, taking a cautious step back, not wanting to cause any sudden reactions. But this, apparently, was a mistake, because next second, she charged at him, teeth bared and ready to attack at any moment.

"Alex, watch out!" Luke called, but the boy was too late; the liger queen swung her right at him. He took the hit directly and he and Mieu flew into the wall nearby. Alex hugged the creature to his chest protectively, not even yelling out as he collided with the wall.Hard. He let go of Mieu, the cheagle hopping out of his arms and instantly turning around to look at the boy, who landed on his feet unsteadily. The child looked dazed and was swaying a little bit, and as soon as he tried to move towards the other three, his legs collapsed and he was down on the floor.

"Fon Master, please make sure Alex is alright, then take him and Mieu to a safe distance," Tear instructed, stepping forward in front of Luke. Ion nodded and ran over to Alex and did as he was told. Once the female knight saw that the three mentioned were safe, she looked at the redhead noble, staff at the ready in once hand and a knife in the other. "Are you ready?"

"W-Wait! If we fight here, the eggs might break!" Luke protested, eyes wide in a mix of fear and shock and what he was about to do.

"It may seem cruel, but it would probably be for the best," Tear said calmly, eyes closed now to concentrate. "Liger young like human flesh. If we leave them alone, they'll most likely swarm and destroy Engeve in search of food." The liger queen, tired of waiting now, roared again, and charged on Tear, next. The knight jumped back out of the way as the creature swung her head in an attempt to send her flying. "Here she comes!"

"Argh. . .dammit!" Luke unsheathed his sword and prepared to attack, getting into a battle stance. The liger roared, and the battle began; the swordsman charged, slashing away at its pelt. Tear hung back and cast offensive spells; Pow Hammer, which created and made a hammer descend from above the creature and hit it on the head; Nightmare, a hymn that engulfed the target and worked to make them fall asleep. If that didn't work, it damaged them. Occasionally, she would cast First Aid on Luke whenever he was hit by one of the liger's attacks. The most deadly of them, Tear noticed, was the lightning that the creature spat out on occasion from her mouth.

"_Havoc Strike!_" Luke called, jumping up into the air, swinging his leg and charging down with a forceful thrust, kicking the liger in the process. Miraculously, it flinched, but barely. In retaliation, she hopped up onto her back legs for a split second then landed on the ground hard, creating a shockwave that knocked the redhead back towards Tear; he landed with a hard thud, but quickly jumped up back onto his feet and attacked again.

Anything they could attack with, Tear and Luke used. At one point, Tear even stopped casting and threw a few of her knives at the liger's pelt. Still, the creature didn't stop, and Ion was beginning to worry; if those two lost, he would have to use a fonic arte, a _Daathic_ fonic arte, to stop her. And he knew that he was in no way strong enough to use one strong enough to defeat her. Alex hadn't woken up (though he had stirred once or twice), Mieu was shaking within the Sorcerer's Ring, and the Fon Master wasn't prepared to defend everyone himself. Then, he gasped as the liger queen suddenly spat out lightning at Tear and Luke again. . .and this time, it came within a foot from hitting the three in hiding. The fighting couple backed up, away from harm's way as they and the liger locked gazes. The only thing wrong was that the two humans were tired while the creature appeared to be just getting warmed up.

"What the hell?! It's not dying!" Luke managed to exclaim out; his clothes were now covered in dirt, with the occasional dot of blood; whether from his own injuries or the liger's, it couldn't be determined.

"Allow me." Ion, Luke and Tear all looked back as Jade Curtiss was walking towards the fight, hands in his pockets in a calm manner.

"You--!" Tear said quickly. Jade stopped behind the two teens, already poised and focusing on a fonic arte.

"Leave everything to me. I'll take care of this with fonic artes. You just make sure I have time to cast," the colonel instructed. Both teens nodded before they did as instructed, keeping the liger queen away from the fonist. Luke even managed another cut across her back, but she was still as vicious as ever. Lightning spewed from her mouth more often and Jade's artes, unknown to her, hit her directly; Ground Dasher, Thunder Blade, Absolute. . .all sorts of high-level artes using each of the fonons that neither could even hope to master. In a manner of what seemed like just a few seconds, the liger queen was killed, and her body lay limp on the ground. Jade only shrugged and replaced his hands into his pockets as he stood, overlooking the corpse without a single sign of remorse. Luke and Tear were, of course. . .completely stunned.

"W-Woah. . .did you see that. . .?" the redhead asked in a whisper to Tear.

"He's definitely not an ordinary fonist," she said calmly, just a little louder than the tone of voice the noble was using. The girl turned and looked closely at Jade, who only seemed oblivious to the stare he was getting and turned around to look at Ion with Alex and Mieu.

"Good work, Jade!" the Fon Master called out, a happy smile on his face. Had he not had Alex with him, he probably would have dashed over to them. Noting this, Jade walked over to them. Luke, though seemingly uninjured, pretty much collapsed on the ground and sat there, staring at the broken eggs with a sorrowful expression on his face.

"This left a bad taste in my mouth," he sighed, making sure to pick up his sword and re-sheathe it.

"You're kind. Or maybe you're just soft," Tear commented, arms folded and eyes closed.

"And you're cold!"

"My, my," Jade said, a smile on his face. "A lover's quarrel?"

"I-it's not like that," Luke quickly stated, glaring up at Jade.

"Colonel Curtiss, we don't have that sort of relationship," Tear snapped.

"I was joking," the colonel chuckled, making to turn back towards Ion, Alex and Mieu. "And please, just call me Jade. I'm not used to being called by my family name. Now, shall we help the Fon Master? He's in no way able to carry another human being."

"Alright. We should also check them for injuries."

Luke stood up and followed Tear and Jade over to the other three, and surprisingly, it was Tear who immediately knelt down by Alex and examined him first. Ion, Luke and Jade remained silent, but Mieu was constantly asked "Is he okay?" and "He isn't hurt too bad, is he?" The poor cheagle was so worried and so loud about it that, after a minute of this, Luke just picked him up and clasped a hand around his mouth and completely ignored the squirming cheagle from then on. Tear then reached into the tiny pouch she had hanging around her waist and pulled out a miniature bottle containing a strange liquid. _She called that. . .a Life Bottle. . .right?_ Luke asked himself as the girl poured half of the contents down Alex's throat carefully. After she resealed it and put it away, the blue-haired boy finally stirred lightly and opened his eyes.

"Ah! You're awake!" Ion perked up, smiling happily. Alex nodded slowly and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, but instantly winced at the immense pain that seemed to fall over him.

"You're in no condition to move around," Tear stated, placing a firm hand on Alex's shoulder; he'd made to stand up, and there was no way she was going to allow that. The girl looked up at Jade and Luke, both of them looking curiously back at her. Jade was, however, the first to catch on.

"Oh, well, if one of us has to do it, then I guess I will. But I can make no guarantees, what with my age and how my joints ache constantly," Jade droned on in a voice that was practically spilling sarcasm. And after he'd said this, he looked at Luke with a pleasant smile again; the noble only blinked and scowled back at him.

"If you're going to complain, then don't even bother talking," he snapped, dropping Mieu harshly to the ground and somehow managing to kneel next to Alex and pick the eleven-year-old up in his arms. _I can't believe he's actually going to carry him_, Tear thought, looking at Luke with surprise. He glared back and she dropped her look.

"By the way, Ion. You look a little pale. Did you use Daathic fonic artes?" Jade inquired, looking at the green-haired boy in question.

"I'm sorry. But I had to. The cheagles' are the Order of Lorelei's sacred beast and I had to find out why they would steal in the first place."

"Didn't the doctor tell you not to?"

"I'm sorry."

"Well. What's done is done." Jade sighed before he walked back to the opening and stopped when he was a few feet away. "Anise, can you come here for a second?"

Right on cue, the pink-clad girl ran out of hiding and up to the colonel. "Yes, colonel? Did you call me?" Jade knelt down and ushered for the girl to come closer. . .which she did. He then whispered something into her ear. After a few moments, she nodded and smiled, looking at him with a determined look. "Okay! In return, you have to look after Ion!" Then, she ran off and vanished out of sight soon after.

"Well then. Shall we be on our way?" the Malkuth colonel asked after he stood up and faced the group. Mieu, though, had other ideas; the cheagle hopped up and bounced onto Tear's head.

"Nooo! We have to go see the elder!" the cheagle cried. Ion and Tear nodded in agreement.

"Jade, would that be alright? We do have to make a report, after all," the Fon Master explained.

"Well. . .I suppose we have no choice. . .let's be on our way, then. . ."

* * *

Cao - Toldja it was long. Was I right or was I right?

Alex - There are no other options. . .

Cao - Why you--

Alex - Review, please! We need it! Well, she does. I'm just the OC here!


	13. Captured

Cao - Oh, hey, lookie, lookie! Another review! So, MISS. peepsall4frenchfries (whoopsy. My bad). . .you think Alex shouldn't have sugar and/or anything with caffeine? Well, I'd have to say I disagree! Alex needs WAY more sugar! I mean, come on! The guy is way. . .WAY too quiet for his age. Ain't that right, Mr. Alex?

Alex - . . .I'm only eleven. . .

Cao - Whatever. But hm. . .that actually interests me. Alex having sugar. . .I wonder how he'd act? Oh, and fyi. . .Alex is my OC/muse. Original character! YAY! I love 'im. . .but I don't think he shares the same feelings. . .he's a stubborn jerk as an adult! DX

Alex - You made me, you know.

Cao - DETAILS! Details. . .who needs 'em. Anyway, yeah. Oh! Remember that less-than-obvious pairing I mentioned? What was it. . .oh, I forgot. BUT! Look **_real_** hard in this chapter! Which, by the way. . .is helluva lot shorter than yesterday. Oh, and I know I made Alex as Mieu's master. But. . .gah. Okay. I wasn't supposed to do that, originally. But. . .I dunno! It just. . .happened! I never said it was gonna be EXACTLY like the game plot, y'know. Yeah. Um. . .Ha ha. . .yeah. . .Alex!

Alex - Cao does not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, no matter how much she wants to beg Namco and/or bribe them with chocolate-chip cookies. And stop using me as an escape route!

* * *

**Chapter Twelve – Captured**

After they stopped by the cheagles' place, Luke, Tear, Mieu and Ion all made the report. Alex had somehow managed to squirm his way out of Luke's arms and walked on his own (much to Tear's pleasure). Jade looked like he was being entertained as he listened to the cheagles communicate with each other ("It's quite amusing, listening to monsters talk to each other like this," he had commented). It had now been several minutes since they made their report, and the cheagle elder hadn't said a word in that time; he was thinking, by the look of it.

"All of this is because Mieu burnt down the ligers' home," the old cheagle spoke, looking up at the group with the Sorcerer's Ring back in his hands. "None of this would have happened otherwise. So, as a punishment, I shall exile Mieu from our tribe."

"That's too cruel!" Ion protested, a look of hurt in his eyes.

"Naturally, I don't mean forever. I hear Master Alex saved Mieu's life. We cheagles do not forget our debts." The elder looked over Alex, and the boy ducked behind Tear, peeking out only slightly. The girl couldn't help but blush lightly and place a gentle hand on the boy's head. "I will have Mieu serve him for a full cycle of the seasons."

"T-That's. . .um. . .I mean. . ." Alex shifted uncomfortably on the spot; he was a servant in Luke's manor. He hadn't a clue how to act like a master! Besides. . .putting it like that. . .it felt way too formal. Guy would have a field day if he heard about this.

"I'm okay with it!" Mieu announced happily once the elder had passed the ring back to him. The blue cheagle hopped up into Alex's arms, the boy barely catching him and keeping him steady. "From now on, you are my master! Nice to meet you!"

"N-Nice to meet you. . ."

"Well! Now that that's settled. . .shall we be on our way?" Jade asked, though it was more of a statement than anything; everyone knew.

"Hmph. . .who died and made him boss?" Luke asked to himself, loud enough so only Mieu and Alex could hear which earned him a slight giggle from the younger boy. After getting praised yet again by the cheagle elder, they all finally left the cheagles' home. Alex had placed Mieu on his shoulder once again and had taken to running ahead a few paces, then stopping so the older people of the group could catch up. Then, the cycle would repeat. That is, until Tear decided to stop right after they'd crossed the only river in their path to the entrance and ask a question that had been plaguing her mind.

"Alex. . .can I see your cloak for a minute?" she asked, causing the blue-haired boy to stop as well. He looked at her curiously, head tilted to one side (making Tear use every fiber of her pride and will to keep from blushing right then and there from the cuteness of it) then nodded, walking up to her and taking it off; Mieu had to jump for a split second. As soon as she got the cloak, Tear turned it around and looked at the design on the back, examining it curiously. By now, everyone had stopped as well, and Luke, who could care less, was standing ahead of them, hands clasped behind his head. Jade and Ion, though, were looking over Tear's shoulder at the design as well.

Alex hummed a little tune as he fixed the red T-shirt he was wearing really fast, and then he took off to bug Luke, practically tackling him and latching around his waist. The young noble jumped at the surprise then immediately started trying to pry the boy off him. All attempts failed, however; the boy remained firmly around his waist. But the redhead seemed far from irritated. In fact, he almost seemed pretty happy.

"Hm. . .this is peculiar," Jade muttered quietly as he assumed his regular thinking pose. Ion could only look from the symbol to Jade, then back to the symbol; he didn't get it. At all. Tear seemed on the verge of understanding it, but when she finally gave up, she looked up at the colonel. "That symbol does indeed resemble the third fonon. . .however. . ."

"Do you know something, Colonel?" the girl asked, holding the cloak so the symbol was more visibly shown.

"I'd rather not say until I'm absolutely sure. But. . .I think I have seen this crest before. It may be an old one from the Malkuth noble line. . ."

Ion and Tear looked questioningly at Jade, but when the older man didn't seem to notice and/or refused to share more, they shrugged and the girl went to give Alex back his cloak while the Fon Master went to somehow diffuse the apparently-desperate situation Luke seemed to be in. Jade remained where he was, losing himself in his thoughts. Was it his imagination? Or had he really seen that crest somewhere before? In an old textbook, maybe. But. . .was it really only in one? No, of course not. But he'd also seen it somewhere in--

"Come on, Jade! Don't you wanna get out of here?" Alex called while putting on his cloak again, breaking the Colonel out of his thoughts. Jade sighed before putting on a fake smile, placing his hands in his pockets and walking up to the other three (four, including Mieu).

"Oh, you youngsters just have more energy than I do. At my age, I tire more easily," the brunette said, voice dripping with faint complaint and sarcasm. Luke rolled his eyes but didn't say a word while Tear only sighed and looked away from him. Then, out of the blue, around four Malkuth soldiers came into the forest and surrounded Luke, Tear and Alex. Anise was leading them and she ran right up to Jade and assumed a soldier-like posture, saluting him in the way a regular soldier would a commanding officer. The only thing that ruined it was the child-like smile she wore. "Oh, good. I see you got here on time."

"Yes, Colonel. The Tartarus is right outside the forest! You said to come, so we came as fast as we could," the pink-clad girl explained cheerily, dropping her salute and just leaving her arms at her side. Hanging around her neck, Alex noted, was the same creepy-looking doll from earlier. Their eyes met after a few minutes and they both blinked. Then, a faint pink painted itself across both their faces and they looked away from each other. Thankfully, no one noticed.

"Good. Arrest them," Jade ordered to the soldiers, who immediately moved in closer. "The man and the woman were the ones emitting the Seventh Fonons." Alex was shoved aside and barely managed to catch Mieu in his arms again. It only took a few seconds for him to regain his balance and back up a step or two, one hand already moving Mieu to his shoulder and the other reaching behind him, around the hilt of the thing on his back.

"Jade, don't do anything to hurt them!" Ion said quickly, looking at the colonel with a worried expression.

"Oh, don't worry. They'll be perfectly fine. . .assuming they don't resist. . ."

* * *

Guy held his breath as he watched the scene below, using every force of will to keep from groaning as he watched Alex. _Don't do anything. . .please, please don't do anything,_ he mouthed silently to himself. He had easily spotted Tear, jade and Ion look at the cloak he was wearing and cursed that Alex had given it to them. And that colonel. . .he'd known something. He just _knew_ that man knew something! He'd really get beheaded if the Duke ever caught wind of this. And Alex. . .well, the boy would probably never be allowed out again.

* * *

Unfortunately, Alex had no plans to stay quiet as the soldiers started roughly handling Luke and Tear. The boy drew his small sword so quickly that even Guy had an issue just watching him. He cut two neat gashes on the backs of two separate soldiers, making them cringe and drop to the ground. He didn't stop there, though; he pounced on the third and pinned him to the ground, sword pointed to his neck and making the soldier whimper a weak "I surrender!" Luke wore a smirk and Tear looked so surprised. Even Anise and Ion were a little surprised, too. Jade, though, showed no sign of such an emotion. In fact, he looked like he wasn't even noticing what was going on.

Alex got up from the soldier then looked at the fourth soldier, who looked back at him with a frightened expression. Grinning evilly, the child focused and third fonons seemed to gather around him at an incredibly rate. Everyone, excluding Luke, was surprised; even Jade. Not wanting any further casualties, the colonel quickly acted, materializing a spear in his hand and dashing up to Alex. As soon as he reached the boy, the sharp point of his spear was placed threateningly at his throat. "Stop right there. Any move you make will result in your death at this point." The child froze, grin completely wiped and a slightly scared expression on his face. The colonel looked at the two injured soldiers, then at the third getting up slowly from the ground. Finally, he looked at the last remaining one and nodded. "Go on. Arrest them. This boy, too."

"Y-Yes sir!" the soldier said quickly, doing as he was told and walking over to Tear and Luke, continuing what his companions had not. After the downed soldier had stood up, he, too, did what he was originally instructed to do. Jade personally made sure Alex was restrained, sheathing the boy's sword and making sure he couldn't cast fonic artes even if he wanted to.

Yes. . .there was definitely something about this boy. . .something that wasn't quite right. . .

* * *

Guy took to banging his head lightly against the tree as he watched Luke, Tear, and _Alex_ get taken away by the Malkuth army. How. Could. The. Kid. Get. ARRESTED. Sometimes, he had _no_ sense_whatsoever_! Did he honestly expect to be able to get away from that unharmed? Though, admittedly, he had been close. And while that certain little interval with the boy looked ready to kill that fourth soldier. . .

No. The blonde swordsman took a deep breath and calmed himself down; he had to think, and fast. Once that landship got moving, he'd never be able to find those three again. And he absolutely could _not_ go back to Baticul without Luke and Alex. _Especially_ those two. His whole mission was to find Luke in the first place. And he was also appointed Alex's personal guardian (though he was, admittedly, Luke's guardian, too). Just when everyone, including the two injured soldiers, were about to disappear from sight, Guy perked up.

_I've got it!_

* * *

Cao - BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Le juicy foreshadowing! HAHAHAHA! -coughhack- Okay, no more laughing. But yeah. If you don't spot a hint of the plot after Akzeriuth, then you're, like. . .blind. REALLY blind. oO

Alex - Coming from the one who wears glasses and can't see a damn thing without them.

Cao - HUSH! Review, please and thanks! Unless you want Alex gutted! X3

Alex - _Now_ who shouldn't have sugar?!


	14. On the Tartarus

Cao - Yay! An update! Not much to say, here, really. But Alex is feeling a tad sick, so no fun today. Though he can still do the disclaimer!

Alex - Cao doesn't own ToA. Namco does.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen – On the Tartarus**

"A hyperresonance occurred within the capital of Kimlasca and converged within the Tataroo Valley; Malkuth territory," Jade began to explain; he had had Luke, Tear and Alex locked in one of the spacious cabins of the landship they were riding in. The Tartarus, Anise had called it. Currently, Tear and Luke were sitting at a table, side-by-side, as Jade interrogated them. Alex was simply sitting on the edge of the top-most of the two bunk beds in the cabin, listening as the adults talked. Anise didn't look much older than him, and whether she understood anything of what they were saying or not, he couldn't really tell. Then again, she _was_ (he had learned) a Fon Master guardian.

"Now," the colonel continued; Ion and Anise were beside him and a single soldier was in the back of the room; he had been guarding it, earlier, "if you two are indeed the source of that hyperresonance that would make you two guilty of illegally crossing the border into our country. Who are you, anyway?"

"Luke fon Fabre. I'm the Luke you idiots tried to kidnap," the sour redhead snapped, glaring at Jade with hate-filled eyes.

"A kidnapping? That doesn't sound very pleasant. . ."

"How should I know what it was like? Thanks to that, I lost all my childhood memories!"

"I see." Jade then turned on Tear, who immediately got the hint.

"I'm Locrian Colonel Tear Grants, 1st Platoon, Oracle Knights' Intelligence Division, under Grand Maestro Mohs' command. We're here only because our Seventh Fonons caused a hyperresonance," Tear explained calmly and surely; she was surely only Luke's age, if a few months younger. Yet she sounded like a mature young woman from her thirties. _She's nice_, Alex decided, smiling a little to himself. The tan-haired girl continued, "It wasn't an act of aggression by House Fabre, I can assure you that."

Jade nodded, and finally, he looked up at Alex. "And you? Or do you not have a name?"

"I do too have a name," Alex replied, sticking his tongue out at the oldest man. Then he shrugged and started swinging his legs a little bit. "Alex. I'm one of Luke's servants. I'm supposed to be searching for him."

"Is there any reason you attacked my soldiers, then?"

"You were arresting my master. Did you think I was just going to let you?"

"Hm. . .I suppose you have a point. . ."

"Apart from that, though, I'm not really interested in fighting. It's too tiring and messy," the child finally finished, scrunching up his nose in disgust as though something smelly had been stuck under his nose.

"I believe them. I don't sense any hostility between them," Ion spoke up, looking up at the Malkuth colonel.

"Yeah. Instead, why don't we ask for their help?" Anise suggested; Luke and Tear perked up instantly.

"I don't see why not," Jade shrugged and put his hands in his pockets again.

"Alright, Old man. What's going on?" Luke demanded, sitting more at attention than before.

"We're on our way to Baticul under orders from his majesty, Emperor Peony the IX."

"To declare war?" Tear asked, slightly surprised though not nearly as much as Luke.

"Wait, are you saying a war's gonna start?!" the redhead asked loudly. Alex couldn't help but snicker; the noble really didn't know how to wait and listen, did he? Then again, he himself was rather bored. He was so bored, in fact, that he was actually feeling a little tired because of it. Letting out a small sigh, the child jumped off the bed and landed softly on his feet, hardly making a sound as he walked over to the door, leaning against the wall for a second.

"You've got it backwards, Luke. We're trying to prevent a war from breaking out," Anise explained quickly, folding her arms as she examined the young noble. Then she looked behind her after realizing Alex had vanished from view, coming face-to-face with the blue-haired boy. Their eyes met again, and for a second, they only stared at each other. Slowly, though, a faint pink crept onto their faces and they broke their gazes quickly. Jade couldn't resist a smirk as he caught that; that was priceless. But sadly, entertainment had to come after business.

"Once we arrive at Baticul, we're going to seek an audience with King Ingobert the VII," the colonel explained. "And while we may be emissaries of peace, I highly doubt we'll be allowed to just simply cross the border into Kimlasca due to the fact that we are from an enemy nation."

"But what's with that business with Ion being missing?" the redhead asked, leaning his arm on the table and resting his head against his hand.

"That's due to matters within the Order," Ion answered.

"An internal war of sorts is arising between the Fon Master faction, centered around Ion," Jade offered, pushing the bridge of his glasses with two fingers up his nose a little bit, "and the Grand Maestro faction, centered around Grand Maestro Mohs."

"Mohs is looking for a war," Anise provided, rolling her eyes in obvious disgust.

"Wait a minute! There must be some mistake!" Tear immediately (and surprisingly) protested. "Grand Maestro Mohs would never want a war. He only seeks the fulfillment of the score."

"Tear. . .you're with the Grand Maestro? No way. . ."

"I'm neutral. While I do believe in the fulfillment of the score, the Fon Master's wishes are also important."

"Woah, hey! Can we slow down so I can actually follow along?!" Luke complained, scowling at everyone in the room.

"Oh, my apologies. I'd forgotten the young master here hadn't a clue about the world around him," Jade sighed; his voice was filled with a taunting air, which only irked Luke further and caused the noble to fold his arms and glare at the ground. The colonel could easily sense that this would be hard to achieve. So, knowing he had one other option, he replaced his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes. "I'll grant you access to any area onboard the Tartarus, excluding those containing military secrets. Take a look around. Think about whether you want to help us or not. Then, depending on your answer, we'd like to ask for your help."

"Why can't you just tell us what's going on?"

"Because if we did tell you, and you refused to help us, we'd be forced to hold you captive."

". . .What?!"

"This matter is a state secret," Jade said firmly. "That's why I'm urging you to make up your minds, first." With that being said, the colonel turned and left out of the door, followed closely by Ion. Anise and the single Malkuth soldier were the only two that remained in the room now, apart from Luke and Tear.

"Please come speak to me if you wish to speak with the Colonel."

"Why don't we go take a look around the ship?" Tear suggested to the annoyed redhead. The boy merely "hmphed" before he got up and walked to the door and left.

"Say, Tear. . .whatever happened to Alex?" Anise asked as the girl in question stood up. The knight looked around the room; Anise was right. The blue-haired child was nowhere in the room.

"He might have snuck out somehow. I suppose I'll go look for him; he's only a child, after all," Tear sighed as she calmly walked over to the door. Before she even got the chance to open it, though, she was quickly blocked by Anise suddenly jumping up and blocking her way.

"W-Why don't I look for him and you look for Luke. Neither of them could have gone very far, anyway," the pink-clad girl informed. Before Tear could even say anything, though, the younger girl quickly dashed out of the room and out of sight, leaving the knight to stand there, slightly stunned.

* * *

Alex sighed as he leaned against the railing, arms over the edge; bored. That how he felt right now: completely and utterly bored. The adults and Anise, probably, were talking about things that he couldn't even understand even half of and the landship was moving! And he would be practicing if it weren't for two important factors.

One; he had nearly been intent on killing four Malkuth soldiers. None of them would want to practice with him now.

Two; Guy wasn't here. His one and only training partner.

Sighing, Alex spun around so that his back leaned against the golden railing; the only person out here besides himself was Ion, who had simply let the younger boy be and stood off in a corner, simply letting the wind run through his green hair. The blue-haired servant sank to the ground and sat there, staring up at the moving clouds; it was kindda pretty. And. . .wow. He must be really bored to be watching clouds. Taking a deep breath, he decided to try something. He'd once read in a book that, if you focused enough on your task, you could make fonons do whatever you wanted them to do without the use of an incantation. One of Luke's tutors had given it to him after a particularly nasty attack one day.

So, the boy concentrated, keeping his breathing calm and steady as he drew in the surrounding third fonons. He could feel Ion looking at him now, and the Fon Master could probably feel the steady gathering of fonons; it wasn't that hard to notice them in a mass. But, all of a sudden, the third fonons swarmed in at a massive and unpredictable rate, surprising Alex and making him jump in surprise; a costly move. His concentration broke, but the fonons kept swarming around him. It was almost suffocating!

"No. . .go away," the child whimpered, curling up slightly and trembling as he tried to dispel the fonons. As far as he knew, only Guy had been able to help him with that. Every time the fonons ran wild and the other maids didn't know what to do, it had always been Guy. Always.

Ion sensed the sudden change in fonon activity and quickly made to go to Alex's side. But before he even had the chance, a dash of pink raced out of the inside of the Tartarus and, after it had finally stopped moving, revealed itself to be Anise. The girl knelt beside Alex with worry on her face, and the Fon Master smiled and walked into the landship; he'd have to stop Jade if the man came by.

"Alex? What's wrong?" Anise asked curiously. No matter how hard she tried, her voice was filled with worry; great. But that wasn't important right now!

"It's nothing," the boy replied shakily. When the black-haired girl placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, she could feel him shaking, even when he brought his knees up to his chest and buried his head in them.

"Don't give me that! If it was nothing, you wouldn't be shaking!"

Alex ignored her as he forced his body to relax, despite the situation. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back against the railing, closing his eyes and dispelling the fonons away. Slowly, but surely, they eventually vanished after a few minutes' tense silence. When he was sure he was fine, he opened his eyes and looked at Anise, the two simply looking at each other. Then, the girl frowned and hit him on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Alex demanded, rubbing the spot where he'd been hit while trying to ignore the stars in his eyes.

"Don't hold everything in! Or do that again! Got it?"

"As long as _you_ don't hit me again!"

"My, my." The all-too familiar voice caught both of their attention as the two children looked in the direction of the door. Neither of them were surprised to see Jade standing there, wearing a mischievous smirk on his face. By now, Alex quickly knew that that could only mean one thing. . . "It seems we have more than one couple here on this massive landship. Are you two already having your first quarrel?"

"S-Shut up!" Alex immediately snapped, blushing furiously.

"So fierce. Well, either way, I've come here to call the two of you. Luke and Tear seem to have made their decision, so we may as well grace them with our presence."

"Alright." The blue-haired boy quickly stood up, dusting off his clothes a bit before offering a hand out to Anise. The pink-clad girl accepted it a little hesitantly, but allowed herself to be pulled up, and soon (after another snide comment or two from Jade), the three walked back into the Tartarus.


	15. Invasion on the Tartarus: Part 1

Cao - Woooo! Chapter fourteen! I'm on a roll! Two chapters, one day. YAY!

Alex - No sugar for you. seriously.

Cao - Whatever. . .

Alex - Cao doesn't own Tales of the Abyss. No matter how much she wishes.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen – Invasion on the Tartarus: Part 1**

"Border tensions have increased steadily for a while, now. It's only a matter of time before full-scale riots break out," Jade explained; everyone was now back in the cabin from earlier. The only difference in arrangement was the fact that Mieu, who had been previously hiding in one of the beds, was now sitting in Alex's lap and the soldier whom Luke and Tear had reported to earlier was now standing behind Jade. "As I've mentioned before, even as emissaries of peace, it won't be easy to cross the border. That is where you come in, Luke."

"Me?" The redhead looked at Jade curiously, actually perking up.

"Yes. We need you. . .well, really, we just need your social status."

"Oh, gee. I'm hurt, gramps." Luke instantly sulked again, folding his arms across his chest. "And didn't anyone ever teach you to bow your head in respect when you ask someone for a favour?"

Jade sighed; well, it wasn't like this could be considered torture. He'd had far worse treatment. Why, peony and his rappigs. . .there was a story to tell. So, the colonel walked up a little closer to Luke, then dropped down on one knee. . .and bowed his head. This instantly rattled the only solider there.

"Colonel!"

"Master Luke," Jade began; while he wasn't looking at Luke, there was a great big smirk on his face, "if you would, grant us your aid in our mission."

Alex couldn't help but laugh at the reaction; Jade was so. . .well, there really wasn't a word that could accurately describe him. But Luke! Luke was. . .okay, he couldn't describe him, either. But still! If Guy were here, he'd probably scold Luke! In fact, Alex should probably do that just now. . .eh, who would listen to a kid, anyway?

"Man, do you have any pride?" Luke questioned.

"None so petty as to be disturbed by this, sir."

"Tch. Alright, fine. You just need me to talk to my uncle, right? And. . .don't call me 'Master'," the young noble snapped, glaring down at Jade. "Coming from you, it's just. . .wrong."

"As you wish. . .'Master' Luke." Jade stood up, unable to wipe the smirk off his face as he bowed for a second. "Now, by your leave. . .I must attend to my duties." And on that note, the Malkuth colonel left the room, closely followed by his soldier and Anise. Tear gave Luke a disapproving look before she stood up. The redhead seemed utterly oblivious. And Alex. . .well, he couldn't hold it in anymore; he burst out laughing, startling just about everyone in the room as he crashed sideways on the bed.

"What's so funny?" Luke demanded as he, too, stood up and walked right over to Alex.

"That was hilarious! He completely stayed in control the entire time," Alex giggled, clutching his sides as he tried to calm down.

"I think I'm being laughed at by a little kid. . ."

"I think it's good that at least _some_one is having a good time," Tear pointed out; Ion soon joined the two teens and looked up at Alex.

"Mieu. . .Master's laughing too hard," the blue cheagle said worriedly. It only took a minute longer before the child succeeded in stifling his laughter, sitting up and pushing himself off the bed, landing on the ground perfectly and making sure his clothes looked alright.

"Come on! Let's go explore a little bit more!" Alex said cheerfully, picking Mieu up and putting the blue cheagle on his shoulders again. And without even waiting for Luke, Ion or Tear, he dashed out of the room and into the corridor. The three looked pretty-much stunned at the sudden burst of energy the kid could have. Luke, especially; the kid would be so quiet back at the manor!

"I think I'll go out for some fresh air," Ion spoke up, smiling and recovering from the mild shock. Soon, he, too, left the room, leaving behind the two teens.

"We should go, too. There's not much to do just standing around here," Tear finally spoke up after what seemed like ages, making towards the door. The young noble soon followed, and together, they walked down the corridor in silence. Neither spoke, nor did either seem willing to speak; distrust was obvious between the two. But not even half-way down the corridor did they stop, though, when they spotted Jade and Anise talking with Alex.

No doubt, they were trying to keep him from going to the upper deck of the Tartarus. And, once again, Tear found herself staring at the symbol on the back of the blue-haired child's cloak; she'd definitely seen it somewhere. . .but where? As luck would have it, Alex turned around after Anise peeked around him, and they both shared smiles at the sight of Luke and Tear. Jade, too, was wearing a small smile.

"Did you need anything?" he asked politely once the couple had come up to them. But, all of a sudden, a loud siren sounded throughout the corridor, startling everyone there. Tear, Jade and Alex immediately got into a battle stance, ready to draw weapons and/or cast fonic artes if they had to. Luke and Anise, though, only seemed to be surprised.

"Are we under attack?" the tan-haired girl asked. 

"Oh, no! What do we do?" Anise cried, magically appearing next to Luke and latching herself around him. The redhead blushed ever-so faintly before prying her from around him; she didn't put up a fight. Jade straightened up and looked toward a small microphone-like thing and uncovering it.

"Bridge! What's going on?" he called into it.

"**A large swarm of griffins is just 10 kilometers ahead. Contact in approximately ten minutes.**"

"Why don't we just go out and fight them?" Luke asked curiously.

"Griffins don't usually attack together," Alex offered, and Tear nodded; a sign of agreement.

"Yes. And it's dangerous when monsters act abnormally," she explained.

"**Colonel! What would you like us to do?**"

"It's your ship; you're the captain," Jade stated before covering the microphone-like thing (A/N: Really! What IS it?!) up again and facing the group around him. And they waited for just a split-second.

"**Right! Prepare for impact! All hands, battle stations! Repeat: all hands, battle stations!**"

And the booming voice stopped.

"We should get to the bridge ourselves," Jade informed. But no sooner had they just begun to move did the massive landship suddenly shake violently, nearly causing everyone inside to lose their balance. Instantly, the Malkuth colonel returned to the microphone and uncovered it. "Bridge! What's going on?!"

"**Ligers are dropping from the griffins and clinging to the hull! Enemy is—UARGH!**"

"Bridge, respond! Bridge!"

"Now what's going on?" Alex asked, trembling a little bit now. Anise walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, which helped a little bit.

"It seems as though the creatures are landing on the Tartarus itself," was the calm answer he got.

"Are you kidding? Lemme off of this thing!" Luke suddenly dashed past everyone hurriedly.

"Stop! It's dangerous to go outside now," Tear called after him as she and Alex followed after him. But next second, they both stopped as the redhead was suddenly tossed backwards by an overly-large man coming in through their only escape. On each of his side was an oracle knight, both holding their swords firmly in their hands. The man, with his bushy grey hair all around his head and face like a lion's mane, was holding a large scythe that only he seemed able to carry.

"You're not going anywhere," he calmly spoke in a rough, low voice. Luke sat up quickly, making it to his knees but unable to rise to a stand. Jade and Anise had joined them by now, with the former of them preparing to cast a fonic arte already, unnoticed by the enemy. And by the time they did notice, it was too late; three quick blades of lightning shot out at the three enemies (_thankfully_ over Luke's head) and took out the two oracle knights; their bodies were disintegrated to nothing. The large man, though, deflected the arte with his scythe, pushing it back as though it were a solid matter. Unfortunately by now, the redheaded noble had chosen to stand up, and quickly flattened against the wall beside him as the arte rushed in his path. Before he even had a chance to escape, though, the man's scythe pinned him against the wall; if he made any move, he was sure to take a fatal hit.

"Jade the Necromancer. . .I'd always hoped to fight you in a battle one day. . .but unfortunately, I'm here only to retrieve the Fon Master."

"Jade the Necromancer. . .you?!" Tear looked positively shocked as Jade walked by, passing Alex as well and standing in front of the group.

"I'm honored that you know of me," the colonel said calmly, acting as though he hadn't even heard Tear.

"Your stories have spread far and wide; how you scavenge corpses after every battle," the man growled out.

"Oh, but my stories have nothing on yours, sir. Largo the Black Lion; God General of the Oracle Knights."

"Don't make a move, unless you want this boy's head to roll," Largo suddenly snapped out; Alex had reached for his sword and Tear had brought her staff up in a more battle-appropriate position, hoping that they wouldn't be caught. But. . .everyone had their stroke of bad luck. Largo suddenly reached in his pocket and pulled out a small, royal-blue cube, tossing it up and down in his free hand. "Jade the Necromancer. . .letting you go now would only cause trouble for us later. I'd hoped to use this to seal the Fon Master's artes. But. . ." He tossed the cube directly over Jade's head; the colonel looked up at it. Then, suddenly, it burst, showering blue rays on him that resembled falling water. The brunette cursed silently shielding himself weakly before dropping down to his knees on the ground.

"A fon-slot seal?!" Tear gasped out. But, once the rays had disappeared, Jade suddenly jumped up, materializing a spear in his hand and charging at Largo, thrusting at him. The God-General dodged easily, and the colonel stopped short as the two faced each other.

"Mieu! Fifth fonon at the ceiling!" he called.

"Y-Yes, sir," Mieu called before taking a deep breath, facing the ceiling and spewing fire. The glass-like red stones that were there instantly shone brightly, blinding just about everyone there. When it dimmed a little bit, Jade looked towards Anise, who had also recovered a little.

"Anise! Get Ion!"

"Right," the girl nodded, dashing forward past Largo.

"I trust you know where to meet," Jade said quietly as she passed him.

"Don't worry."

And the pink-clad girl vanished out of the corridor. Largo recovered finally, like everyone else.

"Oh, no you don't!" he growled, gripping his scythe more tightly in his hands again. He swung at Jade, though the smaller man dodged and struck back. Largo, too, miraculously dodged. But suddenly, he grunted, cringing as something—or rather, some_one_—stabbed him from behind. A quick, careful inspection revealed Alex, one of Tear's knives in his hand again and ruby-red blood covering both the knife and the tips of his fingers. "Y-You. . .little--!" Largo didn't get to finish his sentence as he dropped onto his knees, then fell flat on his face, unmoving.

"H-He. . .you. . .stabbed him," Luke breathed out, sliding down to the ground and sitting there. He first looked up at Alex, a look of shock and horror on his face. Then, he looked down at Largo's limp form, disgust replacing the shock.

"Well done, Alex. I didn't think a child such as yourself could kill," Jade complimented half-heartedly, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked up to the child a little bit. Alex forced a small smile before pulling out the knife and shaking off some small drops of blood from it and his hands.

"Sorry, Tear. But y'know, you really don't hide them too well," the child said, laughing nervously as he handed the item in question to the girl, who scowled at Alex.

"That doesn't give you the right to just take them," she scolded, pulling out a dirtied rag from her pocket before taking the bloodied knife in it and wiping it off with one-hand.

"At any rate, we need to take back the bridge," Jade informed, earning both Tear's and Alex's attention.

"Right. Let's go, Luke," Tear said, replacing her knife back in a more secure slot and dropping the dirty rag on the ground; it had out-lived its usefulness, anyway. She shifted her staff in a more comfortable position, but when Luke didn't respond, she looked down on him. "Luke!"

"Huh?" The young noble blinked and looked up at the three. "Oh, r-right. . ." He stood up a little shakily and followed after Jade and Tear, though he looked back at Largo's form against.

Alex caught this, and silently wished he hadn't attacked at all. But then again, it was unavoidable; he was a servant, sworn to serve and protect Luke at all costs. If it meant he had to sacrifice himself, then so be it; he would sacrifice himself.

* * *

Jade, Tear, Luke and Alex walked across the top of the Tartarus. They weren't quite on the deck, but they weren't in the highest point, either; they were simply using an alternate route to the bridge, one the maintenance workers often used when they had to get to some part of the ship quickly. It really did take no time at all to reach the door to the bridge.

But. . .as luck would have it, there was an Oracle Knight standing guard there, poised to attack anyone instantly, should an intruder try to interfere. Jade sighed, contemplating the situation. Tear, though, simply raised her staff in a guarding position, closed her eyes and. . .strangely enough, began to sing. As soon as she finished whatever song she was singing (which was pretty short, actually), a strange purple mist surrounded the soldier. Instantly, he dropped to the ground and moved no more.

"Wooow," Alex said, stunned by the sudden event. The group of four advanced forward, with Alex squatting down and looking over the unconscious soldier. Luke did the same, though he was standing instead of squatting. Mieu was, of course, standing next to Alex; he'd hidden in the item bag that Alex had with him, as it was easier than having to struggle to keep up with everyone.

"You three, stay here while Tear and I inspect the bridge. Keep watch of our little 'friend' here," Jade instructed, smirking for a split-second before he and Tear walked through the doors the guard had been guarding.

"Keep guard? Hmph! More like 'stay out of the way'," Luke said, rolling his eyes. Then, he put his hands on his upper legs and looked at the soldier. "Say. . .how did Tear's attack make him fall asleep, anyway?"

"You don't know? Tear's hymn used the power of the Seventh Fonon!" Mieu happily explained in his high-pitched squeaky voice.

"Ugh. . .again with the complications. What the heck is a Seventh Fonon?!"

"Mieu. . .the Seventh Fonon is the seventh known fonon! It's the fonon of sound!" Mieu squeaked again as Luke suddenly picked him up and stretched out his cheeks.

"Your voice is gonna drive me up the wall!"

"Hey! Go easy on him!" Alex instantly protested, reaching up in an attempt to grab Mieu from the danger. Luke, though, being taller simply lifted the blue cheagle up where Alex couldn't reach him. The child pouted, jumping up a couple times to grab him. Then, glaring daggers at the older teen, who was smirking, he kicked him hard in the shins. "Give him back!"

"Ow! What the hell was _that_ for?!"

"For torturing Mieu!" Alex caught Mieu in his arms and stuck his tongue out at Luke, who glared at the child in return. Suddenly, everyone froze as they heard a muffled groan coming from the Oracle Knight on the ground. Then, the knight twitched before falling silent once more.

"W-Woah. . .that scared the hell out of me," Luke sighed with relief once he was pretty sure the knight was out cold again. But, next second, the Oracle Knight jumped up, weapon in hand and facing Alex and Luke; Mieu had dived into the item bag again.

"Luke, watch out!" Alex called, shoving the noble out of the way as the knight swung his sword down on him. Luke barely regained balance a few feet from the attack. But the blue-haired child took the hit in his unguarded left side. A small noise of pain escaped him as he landed on the ground, sitting up on his knees and covering the open wound with his hand in an attempt to keep the blood from overflowing.

"H-He got up," Luke whispered quietly, fear obvious in his voice and face. The knight raised his weapon on Alex, who flinched and waiting for the impact to come. But it never did; the redhead unsheathed his sword and slashed wildly at the knight, who dodged it upon instinct. This bought Alex an escape route, the injured boy getting up shakily and edging away from the fight.

"Die!" the Oracle Knight called, ready to attack again.

"S-Stay back!" Luke cried out, slashing again at the knight before stumbling backwards. The enemy only dodged again, advancing on Luke surely and countering the weak attack. By some luck, the noble blocked it, though the impact startled him so much that he fell on the ground, barely managing to turn and face the attacker. "D-Don't come any closer!" he said desperately, looking away from the knight and slashing wildly again. Then, he thrust his sword suddenly, and Alex gasped. The knight froze in mid-strike, sword clanging to the ground.

Luke had stabbed him.

The noble in question froze as he looked at what he'd done. He didn't make a move to remove the body that was skewered on the end of his sword; he was too scared at what he'd done. He didn't have to, though, as the knight simply slid off and lay sprawled on the ground. Shakily, Luke stood up with his weapon, taking steps back from the body and staring down in horror. Alex cautiously stood up and walked over to him, oblivious to the pain he had in his side.

"Luke. . .you okay?" he asked slowly; no response. But the giant doors behind them opened and revealed Jade and Tear, both running towards the two.

"Are you two alright?" Tear asked instantly, running up to the two. Without even needing an answer, she looked directly at Alex, who laughed nervously and waved with his free hand; his red t-shirt was, ironically, now soaked with blood.

"This is bad. The commotion has caused the fonic hymn to weaken," Jade said, some worry etched in his voice. Alex suddenly looked up above them, and the colonel followed that gaze just in time; a massive sphere of ice suddenly formed above them, slightly chilling the air.

"I. . .I stabbed him. I. . .killed him," Luke said quietly—way too quietly.

"If you're afraid of killing, then throw away your sword, you worthless reject!"

The new voice caught everyone's attention as icicles suddenly spewed out of the sphere. Tear and Luke took the hits and instantly fell unconscious. Alex and Jade, though, both jumped back. Alex was left alone, but three more icicles shot out at Jade; the colonel only dodged each and every one of them.

"And you're as hard to kill as they say, necromancer," the voice spoke again as a teenaged figure jumped from atop the bridge, landing on the ground below and facing Jade. His long, crimson hair and emerald-green eyes brought about a sense of de-ja-vu for both of the standing. For Alex, especially.

He had seen him. . .before. Somewhere. . .a long time ago. But. . .where? Then, it clicked; that day, seven years ago! Before he'd been discovered by the guards! A boy that looked identical to Luke had been taken away by a brown-haired man; by Van! And this. . .this was that boy, wasn't it?!

"My, my. I'm honored," Jade shrugged before going into a battle stance. Before either could say more, though, Alex suddenly pulled his sword out of its sheathe and attacked the new figure, despite his injury. He slashed and was dodged easily, then grabbed roughly by his shirt-front.

"You," the teenager said suddenly, surprise on his face for a split-second. Then, it faded, and he very-nearly used his other hand to strangle the child in his hands.

"Asch! Have you forgotten your orders? Or have you just decided to ignore them?!" a new, female voice spoke; a blonde-haired woman jumped down from the spot Asch had momentarily been in. And despite his attempts, Alex couldn't get free from the second redhead's grip.

"Lemme go!" the child protested, beginning to fight back a little. But he instantly stopped and trembled as pain shot from his side wound; no doubt, he'd just ripped it open even more.

"Quiet, you. You're coming with me," Asch snapped, lowering Alex a fraction. Then, he glanced at the Oracle Knights that had graciously joined them from the bridge. "Take them away."

Jade silently cursed as he let the Oracle Knights take him away. Two of them had swung Tear and Luke over their shoulders. But what the brunette was most interested in was Asch, and how he had kept Alex with him.

_Yes. . .there is most definitely something strange about that child. And Luke is definitely. . ._

* * *

Cao - Yay! Was that cool or what?!

Alex - May I ask something?

Cao - Nani?

Alex - Why did you feel compelled to STAB ME?!

Cao - Action, silly! Anyway, review, please!


	16. Invasion on the Tartarus: Part 2

Cao - Heeeeey! Short on time, actually. Read! Review! And Alex says I don't own ToA Bye! XD

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen – Invasion on the Tartarus: Part 2**

"Let. . .me. . .go!" Alex demanded, squirming and fidgeting as much as possible in his captor's hands. Asch and the blonde female had stripped him of any weapon he could've had, plus his travel pack, and were now taking him to a cabin within the Tartarus, probably. "If you don't let me go, I'll slice you both up into ribbons!" he threatened for the umpteenth time. But, like they had been doing the entire walk so far, the two God-Generals ignored him. Currently, the one carrying him in his arms was Asch, the redhead's hands keeping the child's together. Growling, Alex glared daggers at him, though he winced when another sharp pain shot from his side; right. Injured. Not supposed to move around so much.

"Keep it up, and you'll open up your wound even more," Asch snapped, sending the child in his arms a glare of his own; why did _he_ have to do this? It wasn't his job to play babysitter. And this little _brat_. . .just _what_ was so special about him? He couldn't have been anywhere close to being a teenager yet. Then again, said brat _had_ nearly killed Largo. And he _had_ been the first to try and strike him down. After the blue-haired kid in his arms seemed to recover from the mild shot of pain, he began squirming again. . .and Asch hated that. "Quit moving around!"

"Make me!"

"Why, you little—"

"You can't even restrain a child," the blonde God-General commented, rolling her eyes as she folded her arms; her black dress was equipped for easy maneuver in fighting, and hanging on both of her sides were two identical guns, both looking fully loaded and deadly.

"Like you could do better, Legretta!"

Asch jumped as Alex suddenly jumped out of his arms, landing on his feet and facing the two God-Generals, both of whom stopped. The kid had his hands curled into little fists and was in a fighting stance; evidently, he was ready to fight to the death. What a shame Asch couldn't just kill him right then and there.

"_Turbulence_!" the kid suddenly cried, and a small circle of wind formed underneath Asch's and Legretta's feet. Sensing the danger, both jumped apart, out of the way as the wind suddenly burst up, little deadly blades dispersing and cutting thin air. When the attack vanished, Asch gripped his sword's hilt and Legretta pulled out her guns, aiming at Alex. . .except the kid wasn't there. He was dashing past them, and instinct took over; Legretta fired her guns a couple of times, though the child dodged the bullets with swift ease. He spun around, skidding backwards a little ways as he faced both captors. He flinched slightly, one hand going to his cut and covering it for a split second; he was opening it more and more. He knew that. But there was no way he could just stay here and let them do what they want.

"Are you _sure_ we can't kill him?" Asch asked through gritted teeth, looking at Legretta.

"Yes. Would you like to be the one who explains to the Commandant why a vital part of his plan is dead?" she replied coolly. She fired one of her guns again, and Alex jumped back and avoided it easily again.

"Dammit. . .I really don't wanna put up with this," the redhead growled, taking his hand from his sword's hilt and glaring at Alex again. Legretta, too, felt irked; their mission was to simply capture the blue-haired child and bring him to the same room as the Fon Master. Yet even _that_ seemed difficult! But what was even more curious was that, from what she'd heard, the child was nothing more than a servant. So why the sudden interest?

Alex panted slightly, staring at the two adults; no way was he gonna get captured. He wasn't caught by the Baticul guards and he wouldn't be captured by these two. Who did they think they were, anyway? They just barged onto the ship and took it over! And then that big. . .giant. . .that Largo person said they had to take Ion! Speaking of which, he hadn't seen the Fon Master around anywhere the entire time. . .where was he?

Suddenly, something much, _much_ bigger than him yanked him up off the ground by the hood of his cloak. Instantly, Alex yelped and struggled, though he stopped when his cloak began choking him; no way was he letting go of this thing! He managed to turn around enough without harm to see the _biggest liger __ever_. It was nearly as big as the Liger Queen from the cheagle woods! The creature growled, his white eyes focused on his prey in obvious anger, and Alex laughed nervously before sighing; now he had no choice but to settle. It was either that or get eaten alive. And he was pretty sure he'd make an _excellent_ appetizer for such a big creature.

"Good work, Arietta," Legretta complimented as a girl with long pink hair in a black dress came into Alex's view. Strangely enough, the girl had a creepy-looking plush doll in her arms that looked close to what Anise's looked like; maybe they knew each other? Either way, the dolls were still creepy. "Now, let's go get the Fon Master and be on our way."

Alex yelped as he was suddenly swung over onto the liger's back and restrained there by some unknown force. His blood still flowed from his wound and it was only a matter of time before he just shriveled up and died of blood loss. The black-clad girl, Arietta, seemed to take note of this, because she used one hand to reach into a pouch hanging on her side and pulled out a roll of bandages plus a red-looking gel and walked up to him. She offered up the gel to the blue-haired boy, but he only turned away in disgust and refused; he would not be helped by enemies.

"Good luck getting him to take it. I already tried myself," Asch stated, turning around and walking off, obviously in a bad mood. Legretta only looked after him before she turned on Arietta, nodded, and followed after the irked redhead. The pink-haired girl looked back on Alex and, despite his protests, rubbed some of the red gel on his wound.

It stung for a moment, and the boy hissed, taking in a sharp breath and biting down on his tongue; what the hell was that for?! Couldn't she have maybe, um. . ._not_ suddenly touched his _fresh_ cut? But soon, the pain vanished, and so did the feeling of trickling blood. The boy looked at his cut again and was a little surprised to see that, though it was still there, it was a lot smaller than it had been. Granted, it was still open and bleeding.

"It's your own fault for moving around so much," Arietta reprimanded as the gel was finished. She lay her doll on the ground for a second so she could bandage up the injured boy and, as soon as she was done, she picked it up again and started walking off. Whatever bonds that were binding Alex before disappeared, and he was able rolling over so that he was lying on his front on the liger's back. He yelped as soon as it started to follow after the black-clad girl, clinging tightly—but not too tightly—to the creature's fur so he wouldn't fall off.

What a fine mess he'd gotten himself into.

* * *

"_How. . .could you!"_

". . .uk. . .u. . ."

_Luke stared down at his hands, both covered in ruby red blood. Horror was obvious on his face as he looked down on the body of a man, sprawled out and horribly injured. A fine pool of blood was sitting around him, and his eyes. . .his eyes were open, filled with frozen shock. Yet. . .he didn't move._

". . .uk. . .!"

_All along the corpse were cuts and gashed, yet the weapon was stuck in the body's chest. Luke looked down on himself and paled; his front was completely covered in blood. "I. . .I didn't want to. . .I didn't. . ." The teen collapsed on his knees and trembled, using his arms to keep himself from falling over._

"Luke!"

The redhead in question stirred, opening his eyes and looking into the face of Tear, who was hovering over him with a worried expression on her face. Then, she sighed and seemed to relax.

"Oh, good. You were moaning in your sleep, you know," she said with a sigh of relief.

"W-Where are we?" the redhead asked, sitting up and resting an arm on his knee.

"In a cabin onboard the Tartarus," Jade provided; the colonel's vice made Luke jump slightly, but said colonel found no amusement in it. The situation was serious; Ion was sure to have been captured by now and Alex was already in the hands of the God-Generals. And Anise was. . .well, she could be anywhere.

"That's right. . .monsters attacked and--!" Realization and horror dawned Luke's face and he trembled, shutting his eyes tight as he wrapped his arms around himself. _I. . .I killed someone?_

"At any rate," Jade continued, acting as though he hadn't even seen Luke's internal struggles show, "we need to get to the bridge and reclaim it. Or, we need to find some way to escape our prison. And we will need to locate and rescue both Ion and Alex."

"W-Wait! If we do that, there'll be more fighting!" the young noble suddenly protested.

"Yes? What about it?" Tear asked with a completely neutral expression. Luke first got up quickly from the bed he was lying on and looked seriously at the girl before he spoke again.

"We might end up killing people again. . ."

"We don't have a choice."

Luke withdrew slightly, his expression turning slightly hurt as he looked at Tear. Still, the girl showed no emotion, but she appeared to be in deep thought, with her eyes closed.

"If we don't kill them, they will kill us. And they won't hesitate to do so," she explained after a little moment of silence. Again, the redhead withdrew a little again, but the girl only continued; she would not tolerate weakness. But she also couldn't let him get hurt. 

"You're talking about human lives, here!"

"Human life is a valuable thing, under normal conditions," Jade sighed, eyes closed again. "But sometimes, death can't be avoided. Fighting and killing is permitted outside of towns, so long as they are not proven to be for personal malice."

"There's no good or evil here. Only life or death," Tear argued in a calm tone, though a small hint of anger was on her face now. "Those who can't fight do things like hire mercenaries, band together, and travel by coach. Those with the strength to fight, do. Sometimes even children. Alex is a perfect example of that." 

Luke bit on his lower lip and curled his hands into tight fists; she was right. Back when Largo attacked, the kid had struck without mercy; without hesitating. "But still--"

"Astonishing. What kind of environment must one grow up in to be this ignorant of the situation?" Jade asked, cutting off Luke swiftly. And though his tone was one of curiousity, his eyes held a cold emotion.

"Ever since the Malkuth attempt to kidnap him, he's been forbidden to leave the manor for his own safety," Tear explained, closing her eyes and resisting a sigh.

"Ah, I see."

"I can't help it! I lost all of my childhood memories! I don't know anything!" Luke almost yelled out, glaring down on the ground.

"This is our battlefield," Tear stated, closing her eyes, folding her arms and walking up to Jade, turning her back on Luke. "If you're not willing to fight, then stay hidden behind us."

"I didn't say I wouldn't fight. I just don't want to kill anyone," Luke said quietly.

"It's the same thing! Fighting here means fighting against the human beings who captured the Tartarus," Tear explained irritably; was there no getting through to him? "As I said, stay hidden behind us if you aren't willing to fight and _kill_ the soldiers."

Luke tightened his fists enough so that his knuckles turned white; there was no other choice. If he didn't fight, then he had to stay hidden. And if he did fight, he'd have to kill more people. After what seemed like ages, his internal battle ended, but his gaze stayed on the ground, making any expression he had unreadable. ". . .Fine."

"So you'll fight? Good. Then I'll be counting on you as part of our force," Jade said, smiling just a little. Then, he turned and walked over to the rays of blue light that served as their prison's bars, pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it at one of the bars. It hit, and then exploded. Every bar then vanished and Jade dashed forward to the microphone that was available in the room, uncovering it.

"_By my name is Necromancer, heed my command_!"

* * *

"**Initiate emergency plan, corpse hunt**!"

The Tartarus gave a sudden lurch forward and halted in its tracks, causing any standing occupant to lose balance or nearly lose balance. Alex himself nearly fell off the liger he was forced to be carried on. By now, Ion had joined him, and they were being taken to one of the exits. Legretta was accompanying them.

"What on earth. . .?" she wondered; she, too, had nearly fallen. Making a small noise of annoyance, she turned to the few Oracle Knights accompanying them. "Go! Find out what has happened!" she instructed.

"Yes, ma'am!" they said, saluting before dashing off past the three.

"Hey, Ion. . .wasn't that Jade's voice?" the blue-haired child asked in a low voice so only the other could hear.

"Hm. . .yes, I believe it was," the Fon Master nodded in agreement.

"Well, come on, then!" Legretta suddenly spoke, startling both boys. "We don't have all day. Let's keep moving."

Alex clung tightly to the liger's fur again as it suddenly moved again, earning himself a chuckle from Ion; oh, great. _Where_ were they going? He was feeling really uneasy about the whole thing now.

_Guy. . .where are you? Luke. . .Tear. . .Jade. . .I hope you guys are alright!_

* * *

"What was that?" Luke asked, looking at Jade in wonder.

"It's a command I set up in advance, in case of a situation like this," Jade explained, back in his casual stance. "The Tartarus should be inoperable for some time now."

"So. . .how do we get out of here now. . .?"

"First, we'll need to find our equipment," Jade explained, already beginning to go out of the door and down the corridor; Luke and Tear soon followed. "And most likely, we'll find Alex's things, too. Mieu should be in one of the bags. We'll need him."

"For. . .what?" Luke asked, completely oblivious to what Jade had planned.

"Oh. . .in one of these rooms, there should be something 'fun' we can use to escape."

Tear and Luke both exchanged looks as Jade smirked a bit evilly, the same thought crossing both of their minds.

_What could he possibly have planned?_

* * *

It hardly took any time at all to locate and gather their stuff. Luke reattached his sword and sheathe, hit item bag going around his waist and hanging there. Tear's knives were back in the many different slots she had for them and her staff was firmly held in her hand. Jade had even done something to that spear his head so that it was nicely tucked away. . .somewhere. In his hand? Body? Where did he keep that thing, anyway? Ah, who cares.

"They didn't take them very far, did they? And they weren't even guarding them," Luke said in mild surprise, gathering up Alex's stuff and carrying them. As soon as he picked up the kid's bag, though, it moved, and he was hesitant to touch it.

"I imagine they were guarding them originally," Jade stated, making sure they had everything. When he saw Alex's bag move, he knelt down and opened it up, revealing a blue cheagle inside. "All available soldiers are probably busy trying to revive the Tartarus now, though."

"Huh. . ."

"Mieu! Where's Master?" the cheagle asked, hopping up and down. He immediately stopped, though, when Luke glared at him.

"We don't know, Mieu. But we'll find Alex; don't worry," Tear assured, fighting to keep a blush down. The cheagle's ears drooped but he instantly perked up and hopped onto Luke's head, staying there. The redhead didn't protest and just decided to put up with it.

"Well, now. Let's go find out 'something fun', shall we?" Jade asked with another evil smirk on his face as he led the way out of the room again and further down the corridor. The two teens plus Mieu couldn't help but cringe slightly as they followed. And, once again, it didn't take long before Jade led them into another room.

Several boxes blocked the path to the back of the room.

"Ah, good. We should find our 'something fun' in here, behind these boxes," the colonel said with a pleased smile. Tear nodded and began to move them out of the way; despite them being a bit bigger than them all, she managed just fine. But now. . .now, the colonel had found an excellent chance at fun. "Luke, I can't say I think much of you making a woman do all the heavy lifting."

"I'm fine, Colonel," Tear sighed, resuming her work like nothing had happened. But Jade didn't stop.

"Or do rich aristocratic boys lack any muscles?"

Luke glared daggers at the Malkuth colonel before running forward and moving some of the boxes himself; some of them were a little heavy, surprisingly. Then, something clicked. "Hey, you're a guy, too. Help out!" he said, glaring back at the colonel.

"Oh, but I'm much older than you. At my age, all my joints ache and. . ."

"Yeah, whatever. Out of the way, I'll do it," Luke snapped at Tear as she tried to help him with a particularly heavy box. She blushed faintly before backing up next to Jade, though she didn't say a word. Mieu had even jumped off Luke's head and stood next to the other two humans.

In no time at all (probably because of Jade's taunting), a pathway to the back was made, and everyone walked to the back, with jade leading again. There, sitting in the back, was another box. Except it was nothing like the others. This one had a skull and cross-bones on all sides of it, which surprisingly made the colonel smile.

"Ah, here it is!" he proclaimed pleasantly. Luke and Tear looked at it, dumbfounded; the girl was the one who understood what it was, first.

"Colonel. . .is that gunpowder?!" she asked, thoroughly shocked. The redhead immediately flinched back and looked at Jade like he was insane.

"Gunpowder?! What is _that_ doing here?!" he demanded.

"A group of soldiers had been pilfering supplies to sell on their own," Jade explained, still wearing that smile of his. "I'd discovered this here one day and would have confiscated it. But. . .now that they've been captured, we'll be needing this."

"Do we light it with a fonic arte?" Tear asked curiously.

"No! We light it with Mieu! You're on, Mieu."

"Yes, sir!" the blue cheagle exclaimed happily, bouncing forward. Luke's eyes widened.

"Woah! Wait a—"

But the cheagle had already spewed fire, which hit the box. Instantly, it exploded, making a nice, large hole in the side of the landship; an escape route that could be easily used.

"Geez! You could've waited half a second," Luke said shakily, glaring down at Mieu, who's ears drooped again in sadness. Tear only rolled her eyes again before she and Jade began walking forward to the opening. _How can those two watch an explosion go off in their faces so calmly? I swear, they're not human_, Luke thought as he followed along after reluctantly letting Mieu climb onto his head again.


	17. Escaped!

Cao - Heeeey! Another update! But not as many reviews. Bah. But! I'm thrilled to see the several people favouriting and/or story alerting my story! WOW! Really. I'm hyped up. Thrilled. LOVED!

Alex - In some cases. . .

Cao - Why you--!

Alex - Anyway, excuse us--her--for our update pattern. It's a bit random, but soon, it will be regulated. Though Cao's brain is endlessly imaginative--

Cao - Did you just compliment me . .?

Alex - --but she still has the IQ of a peanut.

Cao - Thanks. . .HEYWAITAMIN--

Alex - Cao does not own Tales of the Abyss but she most certainly owns me! -runs-

Cao - YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN!

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen – Escaped!**

"We should head to the port hatch," Jade instructed; he, Tear and Luke were currently running on the Tartarus's deck, having recently escaped from their little 'escape' route. "During an emergency shutdown, that's the only door that will open. And, more than likely, if they've taken Ion and Alex out of the ship, that's where the Oracle Knights will enter from."

And so, they picked up their pace, somehow avoiding any confrontation with any other knights, though a griffin or a liger or two did clash with them. In no time at all, they had reached their destination. The only problem? They could hear Oracle Knights talking outside.

"Mieu. . .I'm scared," Mieu said, ears drooping slightly as he trembled.

"This is a problem. There's no time for us to cast a fonic arte," Jade stated, pushing his glasses up his nose for a split second before putting a hand under his chin.

"It's not like you could use any decent fonic artes, anyways," Luke commented, rolling his eyes then looking at the metal door standing before them; their only exit out of this massive heap of metal. Tear, as usual, scowled at the redhead.

"Luke, the Colonel's doing his best," she scolded, but the young noble only pretended she wasn't speaking.

"I don't mind. It's the truth," Jade shrugged, letting his thoughts wander. Then, an idea popped into his head, and he smirked. "Alright, Luke; Mieu. I'll hope you two can cooperate long enough to do this."

* * *

Alex trembled as he walked with Legretta and Ion and one other Oracle Knight, biting back cries of pain as his body screamed at him; wow. He hadn't expected he'd ever have to do something like that. What_was_ that place, anyway? And. . .why did he have to _hurt so much_? Admittedly, Ion was just as drained as him, though the Fon Master seemed able to hide it a little better than him. At least, he couldn't tell if Ion was hurting or not. Though he had collapsed once. Now, Alex cursed quietly; while that liger had scared him, it would've been so much helpful right around now. But Arietta had stayed behind on the Tartarus to help get it fixed.

"You! Open the door!" Legretta's command to the Oracle Knight made Alex jump slightly, and he quickly hid his own as Ion looked back at him with concern. The blue-haired boy flashed the other a smile, and the Fon Master nodded and returned it. The Oracle Knight that the gunwoman had commanded quickly hustled, pressing an invisible button on the side of the Tartarus and dashing back, waiting as a long bridge grew out of the side under the door that was a few yards above their heads (no _way_ could anyone reach that) then climbing it quickly and pressing the visible button next to the door and waiting for a split second.

"Alex?" Ion suddenly called; quietly, though, so Legretta didn't seem to be able to hear.

"What is it?" Alex answered, looking at the Fon Master attentively.

"What you saw today. . .that was top-secret to the Order of Lorelei. Should we somehow rescue Jade and the others, and they ask where we were taken, please don't tell them."

"Okay!" Alex smiled and nodded in understanding. True, he didn't exactly get it. But top secret meant "no one should know", right? Right. That's what Guy told him, anyway.

"Fire!_Now_!"

The familiar voice made both Ion and Alex look up just in time to see the Oracle Knight fall back down the bridge roughly as fire spewed from inside the landship. Legretta was quick to take action, drawing both her guns and aiming just as a familiar Malkuth colonel suddenly dashed and jumped out of the landship, a brilliant spear in his hand. He was looking right down at Legretta, who looked up at him in return. Then, the colonel smirked, and threw his spear swiftly down at her. She jumped back, but before she could grab the thing it disappeared and reappeared in Jade Curtiss's hands as he landed on the ground expertly.

"Jade the Necromancer. . .you're a force to be reckoned with, even with your fonic artes sealed," she said as she looked calmly at Jade; Alex could've sworn he saw a smirk flash across the colonel's face.

"I'm flattered," Jade replied, straightening up and pushing his glasses up his nose once more.

Luke and Tear, too, both ran out of the landship, though unlike Tear, Luke ran straight to the Oracle Knight who was quickly recovering from the fire and getting ready to fight. Soon, those two fought, with the redhead using Mieu's fire to keep the soldier at bay; evidently, he was still frightened of having to fight another human being. Alex was no fool. He had seen how he had reacted when he stabbed Largo. Tear had her staff at the ready, seemingly prepared to cast any fonic arte that she had to.

Ion, surprisingly, tried to run towards his friends, though Legretta had jumped back, avoiding Jade's attack and holding her arm out to stop him from running forward. Her other gun was pointed at jade, and she fired twice, though the colonel easily dodged.

Luke picked that moment to start tapping his foot, having just thoroughly stunned and beaten the Oracle Knight to a pulp with his bear fists, and suddenly used Mieu to knock him down the rest of the way to the ground, grinning mischievously and completely ignoring Mieu, who was now completely dizzy from the forced movement. Legretta looked around and, knowing defeat when she saw it, dropped her guns on the ground by her side; she was unarmed, but she could easily change that now.

"Tear! Now!" Jade called to the tan-haired girl. Legretta suddenly perked up.

"Tear? Tear Grants?" she repeated, looking towards the mentioned teenager. Tear, too, looked at the woman with recognition as they both looked at each other.

"Major Legretta," the girl said, just barely audible for everyone to hear her. Suddenly, lightning sparked from behind, and knocked Tear forward. And though she managed to make it back into at least a half-sitting position with her staff still under her hand, Alex groaned; that lightning was all-too familiar already. Sure enough, a large liger appeared at the top of the bridge, ready to pounce and shred any enemy. Arietta came running from behind it, all the way up to Legretta with that creepy-looking doll still in her arms. The blonde gunswoman flashed the smallest of smiles, quickly picking her guns up at lightning speed and aimed them once more at Jade, and Tear, now, too.

The Oracle Knight Luke and Mieu had previously downed had also recovered again, for he was now standing up with his sword in his hands and threatening the two. The noble held his hands up in surrender, and the cheagle just barely managed to balance in his hands.

"We're surrounded," Mieu cried out, closing his eyes as though hoping for a quick and painless death. Alex bit back a curse, wishing more than anything that he could do at least _something_. Then, the wind picked up for a second, and he looked up at the Tartarus; had he imagined it? Or was he really. . .? Well, there was only one way to find out, right.

"Arietta, what happened to the Tartarus?" Legretta asked, taking her eyes (but not her guns) off her captives to take a look at the pink-haired girl.

"It's still inoperable. I was only able to make it this far because my friend tore open a hole through the wall," Arietta the girl answered, looking up at Legretta. She, too, look poised to fight, and Alex couldn't help but cringe; she could be so nice. . .if she weren't so evil and just helped in making him feel like crap! Then, the boy looked up again, just in time to see a way-more-than familiar blonde figure jump from the top of the Tartarus and fall towards them. He kept quiet, definitely. And Jade, surprisingly, turned around; only Tear and Luke could see the smirk he was now wearing. Legretta and Arietta both looked up and both managed to jump out of the way as Guy Cecil landed on the ground with hardly a sound.

Ion only barely got the chance to look him over before he was suddenly snatched up by him and pulled back over behind Jade. Legretta immediately fired her weapons at the newest swordsman, though he was too fast; he blocked each shot with his thin sword that he'd brought up to shield himself after he'd let go of Ion, who ran to take cover. Then, he tucked it back away, looked up at the blonde God-General. . .and smiled.

"Enter the amazing Guy!" he stated quite happily. Alex laughed and somehow managed to dash over to the group as well and, as he did, he saw Jade dash up to Arietta. By the time the blue-haired child had made it to his mentor's side, he heard the pink-haired girl let out a small (and loud) gasp.

"Now, drop your weapons once more and go back into the Tartarus," the Malkuth colonel instructed, earning everyone's attention; his spear's head was placed dangerously under Arietta's chin, in a way that if she even tried to move, she would not escape without damage. Legretta, however reluctantly, obliged, and sheathed her guns. Then, she called the single Oracle Knight she had at her command and together, they went inside. Jade seemed satisfied with that and turned on Arietta, next. "You too. Take your monsters inside."

The pink-haired girl seemed to glance at Ion for a moment, and though he wasn't sure, Alex could've sworn she flashed him a look, too. Then, she also walked into the Tartarus with her liger following her. The door shut, the bridge rose back into place and everyone gather up together.

"Master! You're okay!" Mieu exclaimed happily, bouncing from Luke's head all the way into Alex's arms. The child laughed a little, hugging the creature equally as happy.

"Hey, Luke!" Guy called, making the redhead in question jump slightly and spin around. The blonde chuckled, walking beside his friend and patting him on the shoulder. "You're okay, at least. That's good. Same with the squirt over there squishing that cheagle. Err. . .wait a second. . .how did—"

"Don't ask," Luke cut across, earning a questioning look from Guy. Sighing, the noble folded his arms and just looked away. 

"He came with us to the cheagles' place. From there, we had to go to the ligers and ask them to stop threatening the cheagles," Ion spoke up, earning Guy's attention for the explanation. The Fon Master smiled slightly. "We took Mieu—the blue creature in Alex's arms—as a translator. However, the Liger Queen got mad and one of her roars upset some boulders over out heads. None of them hit us, but Mieu would have been hurt if Alex hadn't shielded him."

Alex's jaw practically dropped as he finally became aware of Ion's explanation. And Guy. . .well, whether he was hiding it or not, Alex could tell that he was slowly building up steam. And it would _all_ be aimed at him. Oh, great.

"I see," was all the blonde said. Then, he looked at Alex, who cringed slightly. What the man said next was completely. . .unexpected. "Good job!" The child looked up at his mentor, who was indeed wearing a genuine smile.

"Luke is Master's master. . .so who is this?" Mieu asked, pointing at Guy with one of his small hands.

"Introductions later. Right now, we need to get out of here and head for the nearest city from here," Jade said, cutting across anything anyone would have said, "which is St. Binah."

"You've really got yourself in a mess here, huh, Luke?" Guy chuckled, earning a small glare from the noble.

"Hey, Jade. Do you think any of your soldiers are still alive?" Luke asked after a mere two seconds.

"It's highly unlikely," Jade answered, pushing his glasses up and closing his eyes. "If the Oracle Knights had let any witnesses survive, it would lead to a war between Malkuth and the Order of Lorelei."

". . .How many people were onboard?"

"Only half the usual number. This was a top secret mission so. . ." Jade put his hands in his pockets and remained silent for a moment. Tear looked towards the ground and Alex became suddenly interesting in smoothing out the fur on Mieu's head; it didn't take a genius to realize that it wasn't going to be a small number. Finally, the colonel spoke: "Around 140."

"Over a hundred people were killed," Guy said gloomily, curling one hand into a semi-tight fist. Luke paled slightly and Alex couldn't help but walk over and poke him gently; his own way of saying 'What's done is done.'

"It couldn't be avoided. Now, let's be on our way," Jade said as he began to lead the way to St. Binah. It didn't take long before Tear followed, then Ion, Alex Guy and Luke.

_Over a hundred people. . .killed. . ._

* * *

Cao - Phew. They finally escaped.

Alex - What did you DO to me??

Cao - Nothing. Nothing at all XD

Alex - Spill!

Cao - NEVER!

Alex - Spill now, woman! Or so help me, I will call Dairen over here and--

Dairen - Did someone call?

Alex - NO! -flees-

Dairen - . . .Review?

Cao - . . .For the record, Dairen is evil. . .he'll get his own story eventually, though. Hell, maybe he'll show up in the sequel for THIS fanfic.Or, maybe you'll never know him. -snickers evilly-


	18. Pieces Begin to Move

Cao - Oh. My. GOD. It's FINALLY DONE! YES! ANd you shouldn't be disappointed. . .I hope oO

Alex - Knowing you. . .they might be. . .

Cao - Hush, you.

Alex - I damn well will _not_.

Cao - Do you wanna be erased?

Alex - . . .No.

Cao - Then hush.

Alex - . . .Fine.

Cao - Gotta love when you're in control

Anyway, on to business; my RL is still chaotic. But I'm still working my BUTT OFF to raise my grades (Goddamn you, BIOLOGY AND VIDEO!!) and it's. . .eh. . .I dunno. I've got a test, so I'm hoping it will help. It better. Or else. . .well. . .I'll be beheaded by the woman who can magically grow six heads and also brought me into this world oO

Alex - Must you be a dork?

Cao - I said HUSH! Anyway, that's not all. I'd also like to maybe. . .kindda sortta YES! I'd like to get a beta-reader. Or. . .editor. Or. . .something who can look through the chapters I send them and correct any grammatical/spelling errors I make. 'Cause. . .I wear glasses and my vision is bad. I can't depend on myself oO

If you're interested, toss me a PM. Otherwise, ignore everything I just said aaaaaaaand ALEX! You're cue! No, wait. . .

Alex - Wait?

Cao - Yeah, wait. Let's give you a break and call in. . .

Alex - Yeah. . .?

Cao - ANNA!

Alex - WHAT?!

Cao - What? oO

Alex - . . .Whatever. . .

Cao - Okay! -poofs in Anna- Hit it, demon child!

Anna - -waves happily with an innocent smile- Cao does not own Tales of the Abyss in any way! But she does own Alex, as well as me. Now, I'm gonna go play with Dairen. Bye-bye! -poofs away-

Cao - . . .There's a reason she's a demon child, you know. . .

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen – Pieces Begin to Move**

The group was walking along the road, not a care in the world. Well, to say that would be dishonest. Jade, Tear and Guy all had their guards up, cautious and prepared for any sudden attack. Luke and Alex, though, were arguing with each other about Mieu. The noble kept calling him "Thing." That really set the child off. Mieu was neither a thing nor an it! Mieu was a creature! A very nice creature, at that. Even if his voice _was_ a little high-pitched. Jade occasionally glanced back, though his attention was not on the two fighting; it was focused directly on a certain Fon Master, who had lagged behind a little and was walking rather slow, though he did keep up.

Predictably, Ion stopped and collapsed onto his knees, breathing heavily. At once, everyone stopped walking, turning and facing the Fon Master. Even Luke and Alex stopped their argument with the latter of the two immediately kneeling by his side (along with Tear, of course).

"Hey, you okay?" the redhead asked, concern filling his eyes as he looked at the green-haired boy.

"Ion. . .you used Daathic fonic artes onboard the Tartarus, didn't you?" Jade accused, looking seriously at the Fon Master. Luke looked from him, wide-eyed, then back at Ion.

"That thing you did back at the cheagles' place?"

"A fair bit of time has passed, so I'd thought I'd recover, but. . ." Ion sighed, attempting to stand again. But he only swayed and it was by a lucky chance that Alex was able to catch and support him. "I'm sorry. . ."

"Don't be! It's natural to get tired. But you shouldn't do things that'll tire you out so much," Alex scolded, glaring at Ion a little. Tear couldn't resist the smallest of smiles; the way the kid did that, it really was cute. But she caught her train of thought and immediately dismissed it so no one would see.

"Let's rest here for a while," Jade suggested, though everyone knew it was more a command than anything. "At this rate, we risk shortening Ion's life."

Everyone willingly agreed as the adults set up a mini-campsite for them. Alex helped Ion sit down underneath the shade of tree and, when he had done that, sat next to him, ready to support him should the Fon Master fall again. After a little while, everyone was seated in a circle, their bags and belongings sitting off to the side yet close enough so that no one would dare try to steal them. Luke looked happy to see Guy again, that was for sure. Alex, too, was glad. But he'd been with him a lot more. Besides, they were best friends! It was only natural.

"So you came here to search for Luke with Alex?" Jade inquired, looking at Guy; the blonde swordsman had his sword resting on his left shoulder, so that it was easy access. A smart thing, too.

"That's right. We came with Dorian General Grants, then split up at the Fubras River."

"Master Van came looking for me?" Luke suddenly said, a little surprised; he wasn't the only one.

"My brother's here?" Tear asked, slightly wide-eyed. Guy nodded, confirming both questions.

"By the way," Ion spoke up, startling Alex slightly. The Fon Master chuckled lightly before turning on Guy. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

"Oh, right. I'm Guy, a servant of Luke's," the blonde said, standing up and brushing off the dirt. Jade followed, as well as Ion. Luke, Tear and Alex soon followed after once the colonel and the Fon Master shook hands with the swordsman. However, as soon as Tear approached to mimic the two males, Guy jumped back suddenly, shielding himself and shaking incredibly. Ion and Tear looked at him curiously.

"What?" the girl asked. She tried approaching again, only to cause Guy to yelp and jump back again, shaking even more violently. She blinked.

"Weeeeeell, you see. . ." Alex said, a wide grin on his face as he somehow managed to stifle a giggle. However, as Tear approached the blonde again, causing yet another reaction, the child couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"Guy doesn't like women," Luke provided, rolling his eyes at the blue-haired boy beside him.

"S-Sorry! It's nothing personal," Guy said timidly, lowering his guard just a little.

"If it helps, you don't have to think of me as a woman," the tan-haired knight said. Then, she advanced on him again, once more causing him to yelp and jump back. She blinked, stepped forward, and caused him to step back. She repeated the action for a few more steps before sighing and giving up, placing on hand on her forehead and one of her hip as she turned around. "Fine. I'll be sure to keep my distance. . ."

"S-Sorry. . ."

"I say pity him. After all, the maids back at the manor are always all over him," Alex giggled, earning a sharp glare from his mentor. The child shrunk back, diving behind Luke and using him as a shield while he stuck his tongue out at Guy. "It's true and you know it!"

"You're pushing your luck!" the swordsman exclaimed, advancing on Alex (once Tear had gotten away from him). The child only grinned mischievously, coming out from behind Luke. When Guy was close enough, the child pounced, tackling him and knocking him over onto the ground.

"Ha! Got you!" Alex giggled, sitting on top of his mentor-slash-friend but allowing him to sit up.

"You love doing that, don't you?"

"Maybe a little."

"Well then!" Guy flipped the boy over onto his back, pinning him there by his wrists. "Try and wriggle out of _that_!"

"Nooooo! The monster's captured me!"

Jade, Luke, Tear and Ion all watched on in amusement, laughing occasionally when Alex or Guy would succeed in trapping the other. _They're really playful together_, the tan-haired girl thought, smiling faintly.

"He looks really happy," Ion commented, smiling pleasantly.

"Yes. I think I might _actually_ be feeling a little jealous," Jade said amusedly and sarcastically.

"There's no way in hell you'd want that," Luke quietly said, rolling his eyes. Tear only shook her head as she caught the look. Then, suddenly, Guy stopped their playing, glancing around the area. The girl arched an eyebrow before she, too, heard what was getting his attention; the sound of clanking metal. Everyone heard it too, apparently, because the two playing immediately jumped to their feet and took a hold of their sword's hilt. Tear raised her staff as she spun around and Jade looked ready to materialize his weapon at a moments notice.

Predictably, Oracle Knights came out of the forest, stopping just in front of the group and arming their weapons; there were around four of them. Ion quickly and effectively hid behind a nearby tree, though not too far so that no one could find him.

"Oh, dear. It looks like playtime is over," Jade commented, materializing his spear in his hand. Luke took a step back and let out a small, inaudible gasp.

"Those are. . .people," he said softly. Tear immediately went to his side, looking seriously at him.

"Luke, stay back. You know you won't be able to kill them," the girl said. However, the Oracle Knights had no intentions of letting anyone escape. 

"You won't get away!" one of them called, then that one looked back at the rest. "Remember your orders; Fon Master Ion and the Kinjo kid remain unharmed!"

Jade's curiousity, as well as Tear's and Guy's, peaked. But the knights sprung into action soon after. One of them already charged at Jade and slashed, though thankfully, the colonel was too quick and easily dodged. The fight began and Alex and Guy charged, taking on a single Oracle Knight. Jade sparred with the one that had attacked him and Tear and Luke also fought one-on-one.

"_Grant my enemies a final rest,_" Alex chanted, casting an arte while Guy distracted their target. The boy momentarily closed his eyes, and when he opened them again a split second later, they were slightly blank. "_Explosion_!" A small ball of fire formed in thin air, descending down upon the Oracle Knight he was aiming for. The blonde swordsman quickly jumped back and avoided the attack as it made impact with the ground, living up to its name as a huge explosion (though not too huge) burst forth from the ground, trapping the knight in the dead center. When it vanished, so did the knight; the child had completely obliterated his body.

"You know. . .I think I know don't usually make you mad," Guy said with a nervous laugh. Alex only grinned happily, shouldering his sword carefully.

Tear made a small noise of annoyance as she was once again forced to retreat and jump back to avoid yet another slash from the Oracle Knight she was facing. It was a good thing she had patience, or she would have been really annoyed. In a flash, she had a knife in her hand from one of the many slots around her thighs, shifting her staff into her non-dominant hand and slashing quickly at thee knight. He dodged, which gave Tear just enough time to focus and sing a fonic hymn. . .which she did.

"_Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryuo Toue Zue_." The First Fonic Hymn; Nightmare. Her aim was dead-on as a swirl of purple surrounded the knight and damaged him with its powers of shadow. Then, he suddenly swayed, quickly collapsing onto the ground and falling asleep; the wonders of Nightmare. Tear quickly threw her knife right at his chest, hitting and piercing his skin right where his heart was; there was no chance of survival. Sighing, she turned her attention to the other members of their fighters; Alex and Guy had successfully disposed of their enemy. Jade had also swiftly taken care of his own opponent.

The one that most worried her, though, was Luke. He was still fighting against his opponent, who was slowly growing tired from the battle. Then, surprisingly, the noble knocked him down with a slash, drawing a line across his armored chest. The Oracle Knight was kneeling on the ground, sword used as support to keep from falling flat on his face. Luke could sense the weakness, and knew what he had to do. . .yet it was that very task that was making him hesitate now.

"Now, Luke! Finish him!" Jade commanded, watching the noble from behind. He only seemed to hesitate even more, gripping his sword with both hands now. Tear could sense it; he couldn't do it. And it would only take so long until the knight noticed the weakness.

"Luke!" she called, against her better judgment. The redhead didn't seem to hear. Guy and Alex, too, were noticing the hesitation.

"Luke, snap out of it!" Guy called, yet he, too, was unheard. His hand went on his sword's hilt as Luke raised his sword high, ready to slash down on the knight. As soon as he did, though, Alex also unsheathed his sword, for the Oracle Knight had recovered enough and had smacked his master's sword out of his hand. Then, the knight got ready to retaliate, murder in his eyes as Luke took a step or two back. Everything that happened next was a blur.

Tear and Guy both ran forward, with Tear grabbing Luke and pushing him back as the Oracle Knight swung his weapon down; the girl took the hit, a neat gash forming on her right arm. She clutched it and winced as she landed on the ground. Luke was staring at her with a frightened expression. Guy took the knight's stunned moment to slash at him, though it wasn't fatal. But, as expected, Alex suddenly dashed forward, thrusting his own sword into the back of the knight. The enemy cried out, choking as his blood dripped from his mouth. Then, as soon as the child removed his bloody weapon from the human, he crumpled on the ground; dead.

"T-Tear. . .I. . ." Luke bit on his lip, cautiously crawling up to her and waiting for her to move; she didn't, and for a second, he thought she was dead. Then, however, he was surprised when she spoke.

"You idiot. . ."

* * *

Night fall came, and the group set up camp, with Mieu huddled near the campfire in a ball and Tear leaning against a tree, seemingly asleep; it was by chance that Alex spoke up and said he knew some healing artes, and then promptly used First Aid to heal Tear's injury a little bit. Jade was standing, staring into the depths of the fire. Luke was standing away from everyone, staring at the ground as thought truly interested in it. Guy and Alex, however, had vanished within the forest for one reason or another. But the group had agreed to camp there to let Tear fully recover.

Mieu hopped over from the fire up to Luke, looking up at the redhead from his height. He then reached out carefully, tugging on his pants leg. "Master's master, are you alright?" the cheagle asked with concern.

"Huh?" Luke blinked and looked down on Mieu, though not with the usual look of annoyance he gave the creature. "I'm fine."

"What about Master?"

"He's fine, too."

"And Jade? And Ion and Guy and Tear?"

"Argh, they're all alright, okay!" Luke growled, scaring the cheagle off. Mieu hopped right back into place, curling up in a ball and feigning sleep, yet his shivering seemed to give it away. Sighing, the noble walked up at Ion and Jade, both of whom looked at him.

"Tear and Jade are soldiers, so the things they say may be a little harsh," Ion immediately spoke up once Luke was within hearing distance.

"Does it. . .not bother you that your subordinates kill people?" the noble asked, cautiously looking up at Ion.

"It can't be helped. Sadly, the Order of Lorelei has stopped being a religion of life." A pause as he closed his eyes. Then, the Fon Master looked back up at Luke. "You'll see soon enough."

"I don't see anything wrong with not wanting to kill people," Jade said, pushing his glasses up his nose before placing his hands into their pockets. "It's not like you'll have to leave one, anyway, once you get back home. Live a safe life inside a safe city, and hire guards when you're forced to leave it."

"Are you making fun of me?" Luke snapped, glaring at Jade.

"Not at all. It's perfectly natural."

"Grr. . .whatever!" The noble then stalked off to Tear, sitting next to her. She seemed to be awake, for the two then started chatting together while Jade and Ion watched. Ion smiled faintly while Jade only seemed to lose himself in his thoughts; Guy and Alex still hadn't returned. The colonel glanced around lazily, looking left to right. Then, he turned and began walking towards the trees. However, Ion noticed the sudden action.

"Jade, where're you going?" the Fon Master asked, looking curiously at the Malkuth colonel.

"Oh, I'm just going to see what our newcomer and favourite child are up to. I won't be long," Jade assured, flashing a small, if fake, smile towards the boy before the trees swallowed him up in the darkness. Ion only shook his head lightly before walking up to Mieu, sitting next to him and carefully picking the cheagle up in his arms.

* * *

"What'd I tell you, huh?"

"I-It wasn't that bad, really!"

"They_recognized you_, Alex! Do you have any idea how much danger you could be in?!" 

"Um. . .Ion and Luke are in much more danger than a servant like—"

"I don't _care_ about _them_ right now! If the Duke finds out about this, you'll be locked up in the manor!"

Alex glared right up at Guy, who was glaring down at him; the child knew it had only been a matter of time until he cornered him. But he hadn't expected it to be _this_ soon. And what was up with him, anyway? Alex was just a servant! He was hardly in any danger from anyone, excluding the bandits and, now, oracle Knights that were after Ion. "Look, it's not such a big deal, alright?"

"It's a very big deal!" Guy snapped, causing Alex to cringe slightly. The blonde then noticed the shaking of the child, sighing and running a hand through his blonde hair. "Look. I didn't mean to yell. But you have to understand; I'm just worried. Everyone is. You're only eleven, so don't push yourself so much."

". . .'Kay," Alex nodded in agreement, shifting uncomfortably on the spot. Guy looked curiously at the kid, watching as he walked over to a boulder that was nearby and hopped onto the top, laying back on it and watching the sky. Getting the hint, the blonde remained silent as he walked beside him and leaned on the boulder, following his gaze to the sky.

Neither spoke, for neither had to. They knew when the other wanted to speak. After all, they were the closest things to brothers. Guy looked at Alex, smiling faintly; he remembered how the kid was when he had first moved into the manor. Even now, he thought it was sad. Poor kid had been through a lot. . .

"_Alex, come on! I have to go check on Luke!" fourteen-year-old Guy protested, for he was rooted to the spot by a blue-haired four-year-old that seemed to refuse to let go of him either until he agreed to stay or agreed to take him with him. Honestly, the kid was too clingy. "Come _on_! I have to _go

_Alex quickly shook his head, burying his face in Guy's front for what had to be the thousandth time. Again, the blonde sighed with frustration; he'd get in so much trouble if he didn't hurry up. It took time, but the teen was able to pry Alex off him and dash off to Luke. Along the way, of course, he told Pere that he should consol the blue-haired child; the poor guy looked like he was about to cry when he left._

_And so, Guy spent a "wonderful" afternoon trying to catch Luke; the redhead had the mental capacity of a five year old, now, yet still deemed it necessary to stubbornly refuse a bath. Tiredly, the teen made his way back to his room at around eleven o'clock that night, walking into his door and pressing his forehead against the cold wood, just plain trying to stay awake. Then, said door suddenly swung open, and Guy found himself quickly catching himself so he wouldn't smack right into Pere._

"_Oh! Master Gailardia!" the old gardener exclaimed, a mix of relief and worry on his face. "I was just about to go looking for you!"_

"_Ah. . .I'm kindda tired. Was just gonna go take a small nap," the blonde teen said, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to ward off sleep._

"_Well, it'll have to wait! Right now, you've got to calm down Alex!"_

"_Wait, what?"_

"_Please, hurry!"_

"_Ah, Pere! Hey, wait a—"_

_Guy yelped as the old gardener pulled him into the room all of a sudden, and it hardly took a second to figure out just what he was talking about in the first place. There, sitting on his bed (or rather, his_shared_ bed), was Alex, trembling and holding himself as though he were about to fall apart. Had he not been shaking that much, Guy would've just said he was cold or something. But at the sound of the door closing, the kid looked up, and both the teen and the elder could see little trails of tears on his face, some even still leading fresh tears._

_Immediately, Guy took himself from Pere's grip and quickly strode over to Alex, kneeling on the bed in front of him. "Hey. . .what's wrong all of a sudden?" the teen asked, reaching a comforting hand out to the child. But he winced and scooting back a little, shutting his eyes and looking away as his trembling increased. "Pere, when did he suddenly start doing this?"_

"_I was first telling him about where I'd come from and about Hod's collapse," the old man explained, looking worriedly at the blue-haired child. "Then I asked him about where he came from. He understood me and tried to answer. But then. . .I'm not sure. His eyes kind of unfocused and the next thing I know, he suddenly screamed. Something about blood, and that worries me."_

_Guy looked from Pere back to Alex, who was still shaking. Sighing, the teen crawled up to Alex a little and pulled him close, holding him like any sibling normally would. At once, the child squirmed, frantically trying to get free. He even looked like he was about to scream again._

"_Sshh. It's okay," Guy said softly, placing a comforting hand over Alex's eyes. Somehow, that seemed to work, because the four-year-old stopped moving and relaxed again, even though Guy could easily feel tears still leaking from his eyes. He had a hunch, though, at what might have freaked him out. It was a wild guess, sure, but it was probably accurate._

"_Mama. . .and Papa. . .they gone," Alex softly spoke out; one of the rare moments he'd actually ever speak. And when he did. . .his voice was so. . .quiet. "I. . .can't find them." Guy felt a pang of sympathy for the child in his arms; he knew what that felt like. To one day suddenly be unable to find the two people who cared about you most. "A bad person. . .came. And. . .a lot of red sticky stuff was lying around. Mama and Papa. . .they had a lot."_

"Hellooooo?" Alex said suddenly, having sat up and looked at Guy. The swordsman was so. . .not there. He was in his own little world. "Guuuuuy? Hellooooo? Anybody there?" The eleven-year-old reached out and knocked on his mentor's head, the way one would knock on a door. That seemed to get his attention because he flinched and looked up at him while rubbing the spot where he'd just been hit.

"I'm here, I'm here. And what was that for?" Guy demanded, looking at Alex with slight irritation.

"Well. You spaced out and it was creepy. And you weren't listening. And that brings us to where we are now!" the child said happily, laughing a little.

"You. . ._**really**_ should stop hanging around Luke."

"But he's fun! You're just a stiff."

"What was that?!"

"You heard me!"

Guy and Alex glared at each other for at least a minute, neither giving in to the other. And yet, the result was always the same. The blue-haired child couldn't stay mad for long, breaking into a fit of giggles and flopping onto his back, spread out on the boulder. The swordsman smirked in satisfaction before scooping Alex up in his arms and trapping him there. "You are so _not_ getting away with that crack."

"Ack! Nooooo! The monster's got me again!" Alex cried out dramatically.

"Oh, dear. I surely hope you're alright, there, Alex," said a familiar sarcastic voice, causing both Guy and the mentioned to look in the direction it had come from; their camp. None-other than Jade came walking up to them, hands casually in his pockets and a pleasant (or fake) smile on his face. "You two have been gone an awful long time."

"Just something between us," Guy shrugged; not like Jade had to know or anything.

"Really. Would you mind me asking a few questions completely unrelated to whatever you two were doing just now?"

"Sure. . .?" Alex answered, tilting his head to one side; that had confused him. A lot.

"And you swear to answer every one?"

"Alright," Guy said, looking at the colonel.

"Very well, then. I do hope you will uphold your word," Jade said pleasantly, closing his eyes and pushing his glasses up as he seemed to think. Both the blonde and the blue-haired child looked at him with a questioningly look; it was. . .weird. They were mere servants. If they needed to know anything about House Fabre, they could just ask Luke; he knew a lot more. After what seemed like ages, though, Jade finally spoke.

"What do you hope to gain by hiding your true identity, Alex Kinjo?"

* * *

Cao - That. Was. LONG.

Alex - The author's notes at the beginning hardly helped. . .

Tohru - Yeah. . .

Cao - . . .Hush, you two.

Alex and Tohru - Make us.

Cao - . . .damn you, adoptive siblings. . .

Alex - Yeah, well. It's better him than Anna or Dairen. Or Sasha. . .

Tohru - Say, where is Sasha, anyway?

Alex - With Yuri.

Tohru - Doing. . .?

Alex - . . .Don't ask. . .

Tohru - Ah. . .

Cao - Aw. Love 'em. Anyway, boys? Care to do the ending?

Alex - . . .No.

Cao - -bites Alex-

Alex - REVIEWPLEASEANDTHANKSANDLETGODAMMIT!

Tohru - . . .controlled by a fourteen-year-old girl. . .

Cao - -lets go of Alex- I can bite you, too, if you want. . .


	19. Determined

Cao - YAY! Chapter eighteen! Already, eh? 

Alex - And about time. . .

Cao - Hush. You'd die in ten seconds with my parents.

Alex - Uh-huh.

Cao - Anyway. I have FULL-ON PERMISSION (I think) to post my Fanfic chapters! On my mum's laptop. Which can tell her everything I do on it. So she can probably see this right now. HI, MUM!

Alex - You are so _weird_.

Cao - And you're a child that's--

Alex - -covers Cao's mouth- Don't spoil it, geez! Anyway. Disclaimer. Cao does not own Tales of the Abyss or any of the characters. Except me, of course. And you can't steal me. Or she'll bite. And hard oO

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen – Determined**

Guy and Alex stared at Jade, the former being completely stunned while the latter was only confused. Inside, the blonde cursed; the kid never knew. He'd forgotten, actually. Duke Fabre had thought it would be better that way.

"Kinjo?" Alex repeated, jumping out of Guy's arms and landing on the ground with a soft thud. He fixed his clothes then walked up to the Malkuth colonel, looking up at him in his crimson-red eyes; they held no sarcasm, no joking. No. . .nothing, actually. The blonde swordsman held his breath, knowing full well that, unlike the soldiers from the cheagle woods, he couldn't just dispose of Jade here and now; the man was too smart.

"I believe that's what I said, yes," Jade answered, looking seriously down at Alex, first, then up at the other that was there. "Kinjo was a well-known name through-out Malkuth. And though every member of the family mysteriously vanished from the face of Auldrant due to a mass-murder some seven years ago, they're still known today.

"Many members from the Kinjo family helped in create a unique set of fonic artes and sword skills. It took time—around 30 years or so—but it was eventually perfected. Unfortunately, no one knows how to perform either." The colonel adjusted his glasses again, his gaze now focused solely on the blue-haired child before him. "Each member was well-known to have blue hair and golden eyes, something that was also unique to them, though there was one exception. And also. . ." He knelt down in front of Alex so that he was eye-level with the child, who backed up a step. The elder of the two offered out a hand; a sign, asking for the child's. Alex reluctantly obliged, wincing when Jade materialized his spear.

"Jade, are you insane?! He's a child!" Guy protested, instantly outraged as hand went to his sword's hilt. However, the brunette paid no mind as he slowly lowered his spear to the child's skin, sharp end pointed at him. Alex shut his eyes tight, looking away and bracing himself for the inevitable pain; it would happen. He knew it would! After all, Jade looked serious and he was a soldier; he couldn't afford to hesitate for a mere child.

Jade's spear tip touched the boy's skin, gently pricking it and causing an escape for the ruby-red blood. The reaction was instant, and it was only by sheer luck that he managed to avoid getting blasted to pieces. A mass of third fonons began to instantly surround Alex, forming a layer of neat wind around his body, like an invisible armor of sort. An invisible armor that, if penetrated or approached, would instantly kill the enemy. And that's exactly what happened. As soon as Jade sensed the fonons, he dismissed his spear and quickly managed to get up and jump back, narrowly avoiding a tower of wind that crashed down on the ground where he had been mere milliseconds before.

The child, though, seemed unaware. In fact, he'd even let his hand fall limply by his side again. His head was even turned towards Jade. In fact. . .there was a fonic glyph under him. Which could only mean one thing. . .

"_Awaken, o mighty Sylph. Let loose thy wrath upon my enemy_." Alex opened his eyes and, strangely, they were no longer their golden colour. In fact, they were. . .slightly misted over, making them appear a dull grey, almost making him seem lifeless. But was even more curious. . .was the arte he was using. "_Thousand Blades._"

The arte lived up to its name. Several blades of wind—a thousand, perhaps—formed around Alex, all aimed directly toward Jade. The colonel froze; even if he dodged half of them the other half would surely hit him. And judging by the amount of blades were created, he would not survive.

In other words: it was instant death.

Now normally, he would think about this rationally; try to find some solution to this near-impossible situation. But. . .even he wasn't that good. Thankfully, though. . .Guy seemed to have enough sense to step in. By miraculously managing to get up behind the child, he knelt down and put his arms around him, pulling him close. One of the threatening blades of wind seemed to strike the blonde, slashing across his cheek faintly, though thankfully not deep. And, as though realizing who held him, Alex relaxed in his mentor's arms, eyes turning back into their regular gold before they shut and he fell limp, with the blades of wind dispersing as well, leaving Jade completely unharmed.

"Well. That was certainly a surprise," the colonel commented, straightening up, dusting himself off then replacing his hands in his pockets as he walked up to Guy and Alex.

"Why did you do that?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Guy's icy glare up at the colonel was hardly intimidating, though it was certainly. . .surprising. "You knew what would happen. But you did it any way. Why?"

"If I hadn't, then I wouldn't have found anything out," Jade replied, shrugging simply, as though it were no big deal. "But for now, we should head back to the camp. The poor child looks exhausted."

"Who's fault do you think it is?!"

"Why, I have _no_ idea." Jade smirked, earning a sigh from Guy; oh, he'd gotten him. And it hardly took any effort.

"I swear, you're impossible. . ."

Predictably, everyone had questioned why Alex was fast asleep and why Guy had a fresh cut on his cheek. But thanks to Jade, his quick thinking and his snide remarks, they managed to avoid the barrage of questions that everyone had definitely prepared.

* * *

Night passed quickly.

Dreams were dreamt and nightmares were. . .nightmared. . .

By the time Luke woke up, everyone was already awake. Jade was standing somewhere nearby, talking with Guy, Ion was assuring Alex that he was perfectly fine now (_Is it just me, or does Alex look. . .exhausted?_ Luke wondered). Tear was, he realized quickly, standing over him, looking down on him.

"You're awake now? Good," she said, standing up and turning to make her way towards the others. The young noble followed suite, quickly standing and looking at her with concern.

"Is it alright if you move?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you for your concern. . ."

Tear walked towards Jade and Guy, not even looking back at the redhead. And as soon as the noble caught up to them, the colonel spoke.

"Tear, Guy and I will take up a triangle formation," Jade explained, hands casually in his pocket as he looked at Luke with those crimson-red eyes of his. "Alex will stay ahead of us, scouting. Should there be any enemies in our way, he will quickly and carefully take care of them. However, if he cannot handle them, then he is to inform us of the situation. Understood?" he added, looking down at the blue-haired child, who nodded; that smile he was wearing was really disturbing. Jade sighed faintly before turning back on Luke and Ion. "Luke, you and Ion will be in the middle of our formation. And you'll defend yourself, if necessary."

"Huh?"

"It means you don't have to fight," Guy explained, a small look of relief on his face (at least, that's what Luke thought). Tear and Jade started walking away, as did Alex, with the child dashing ahead. Because of what he had to do, Tear had taken the liberty of carrying everything but the sword on his back. She'd even given him a knife. "Come on. Let's get going."

And Guy, too, started walking onwards, followed closely by Ion. Luke simply stood there a moment, looking at everyone's back with some unknown expression. _So. . .I don't have to fight?_ he thought, unsure of whether he should be glad or. . .insulted. . .

"H-Hey! Wait a minute!"

Everyone stopped walking, including Alex, who had almost taken off out of hearing distance. The only ones truly facing the young noble, though, were Guy, Alex and Ion, the third of them being the one speaking.

"What is it?" the Fon Master asked, taking a step forward; Jade was looking at him over the shoulder, though barely. Tear. . .hadn't made a single move.

"I'll fight, too," Luke announced, curling a hand into a tight fist.

"Aren't you afraid of killing?" Jade asked, now turning and facing the redhead.

"Of course not!"

Alex looked at Luke momentarily, the only one able to truly see Tear's facial expression.

"You shouldn't force yourself," the girl said, closing her eyes.

"I'm serious!" The redhead looked determined. But it took less than half a minute for him to ease up and looking away from them toward the ground, a small sigh escaping him. "I mean. . .yeah, I'm a little scared, but. . .if I have to fight, then that's what I'll do. I'm not gonna hide in the corner!"

Mieu, too, looked toward Luke, though he made an effort to waddle up to the front of the group and look up at the redhead.

"I've made up my mind!" Luke announced firmly, looking at everyone with a look that almost dared anyone to call him a liar. By now, Tear had turned to face him, even a little bit. Alex could no longer see her facial expression, but he was sure that she didn't look impressed at all. Who would be? Luke was forcing himself so much. . .it was so obvious. "From now on, I fight. Without hesitation."

Tear closed her eyes for a second, then walked up to Luke, looking him squarely in the eye, leaning up so that she was right up in his face; her nose barely touched his, and the redhead took a small step back from the uncomfort of it. "To kill someone. . .means to rob them of their future. Even if it's to protect yourself."

"And it can earn you the hatred of others," Guy added in, one hand running through his blonde hair. Alex chose to walk up to everyone, now standing next to Mieu.

"Are you prepared to deal with that?" Tear asked, her voice cold. "Can you face that responsibility without running away and without making excuses?"

"You said it yourself. You aren't kill people because you want to," Luke retorted back, looking away fro her gaze; now, this was uncomfortable. _Really_ uncomfortable. And he could've sworn he saw a glare come from the blue-haired child with them; he'd almost forgotten about him. The redhead didn't pay any attention to him, though, as he dodged away from Tear and walked past her, coincidentally right in front of Alex.

"I'm not here to be a burden. I'll take the responsibility, too."

Alex looked up at Luke with fierce golden eyes, anger evident in his features. Luke returned with a simple gaze, one he usually gave him back at the manor in the presence of his father and Ramdas; one he gave to every other servant in the manor, excluding Guy and Pere.

"We'll give Luke a chance to show us his resolve," Jade said, deciding that it was for the best; there could be no way the redhead was 100 sure of his decision. But who was he to stop him?

"Just don't push yourself too hard," Guy sighed, walking up to the redhead and placing a hand on his shoulder. Luke nodded, looking away from everyone, even though he knew Alex could see perfectly well his true emotions.

Truthfully? He was frightened. He was scared by the idea of killing.

"You're a liar."

The noble quickly looked up, realizing that everyone had gone up ahead and started walking already. . .

. . .everyone except for Alex.

"Excuse me?" he asked innocently, looking down at the angered child before him.

"You heard me. You're a liar," Alex repeated, glaring daggers up at the redhead, practically. "You say you're not scared. But you are. Well, newsflash. If you think you're strong, you've got another thing coming."

Luke glared right back at the child. "Care to say that again?"

"Stop acting tough. That better?" the child snapped, making the redhead to recoil slightly. "You have no idea what you're in for."

Guy called for Alex and the child, after shooting one last harsh look towards his master, instantly relaxed and dashed up ahead to where he was supposed to be. Luke only stood there a moment longer, hand curled in a tight fist; how dare he think he had a right to criticize him. He didn't. No way. He was only a kid!

"Argh. . .what does he know?!" he finally snapped, brushing it off as nothing before he went to catch up with the others.

And yet. . .something in the back had to agree back to what Alex had said, even going as far as admitting that the child may have a point.

After all. . .Luke hardly knew anything about the kid. . . 


	20. The Fortress City

Alex - Okay. So. . .the deal with the whole "Cao can post the fanfic thing" is kindda complicated. She has homework first, then she can post.

Cao - Heeeelp! I'm DDDDRRRROOOOOWWWWWNNNNNIIIIINNNNNGGGGG! -submerged by homework papers-

Alex - . . .Yeah. Anyway. Cao doesn't own ToA. End of story. I'm her only property. And if you steal me, then I slice you in half. Okay? Okay. Glad we're on the same page.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen – The Fortress City**

"Hm. . .this is a problem. . ." Jade commented. Currently, the group of six was standing by the entrance to St. Binah, the closest city to the Tartarus. And who else but the Oracle Knights would be guarding the entrance? No doubt they had expected them.

"Want me to knock them out like I did before?" Alex asked, looking up at the colonel, who only seemed to think on it a little. Guy, though, hit him on the head; not too hard, so he wouldn't seriously hurt him, but not too gentle, either. The child muttered things under his breath that no one could hear and simply let the topic drop.

"Why are the Oracle Knights here, anyway?" Luke asked, ignoring the small skit that had just happened.

"Well, St. Binah was the closest city. The Oracle Knights probably expected us to come here," Guy informed.

"For a Kimlascan, you're familiar with Malkuth geography," Jade commented, looking at Guy.

"I like reading about vacation spots. . ."

"Ah, I see."

"Look!" Tear pointed out a wagon that had come in from behind them, though it had clearly not seen them (that was at least a good sign). The wagon stopped as one of the Oracle Knights walked up to it.

"We're from Engeve here to fulfill an order of food supplies. There should be one more wagon after this one," the driver of the wagon explained. The Oracle Knight nodded and stepped aside, allowing the wagon to pass through the gates.

"Huh. Isn't that interesting," Alex said, blinking. Then, an idea sparked in his head, which Jade managed to voice first.

"Ah, I see. So we're going to stop the second wagon and hide in it," Jade said, looking down at Alex, who grinned innocently.

"Let's go down towards Engeve a little ways," Ion suggested.

"I'll go stop the wagon!" Alex volunteered before dashing off, quickly followed by a worried Guy.

"I'll never know how the child has to much energy in him," Jade sighed with exaggeration, shrugging before he followed after the two servants with Ion close behind.

"I'll tell him how. Alex is an endless bundle of energy. He's never calm. 'Cept when Natalia's around," Luke muttered, kicking at the dirt and walking away with everyone else after Tear had soon followed.

Down the road a little ways, a wagon from Engeve was, as predicted, coming up. Everyone stood on the side of the road, watching it. Then, against Guy's wishes, Alex jumped out into the middle of the road, arms spread out wide in some attempt to stop the wagon. It worked, and the vehicle pulled by the horses stopped.

"Hey, kid! What d'you think yer doin'?" the driver, a man, demanded, holding the reigns of his horses firmly. Beside him sat a very familiar (to Luke, Tear, Jade and Ion, anyway) plump woman with short red hair; the mayor of Engeve, Rose.

"Colonel Curtiss!" she exclaimed as the mentioned came into her view. Guy instantly pulling Alex out from in front of the wagon as everyone gathered up to look at Rose, who turned her attention from Guy to Alex, then to Ion, Tear and Luke, who she looked questioningly at. "And you're. . .Luke, was it?"

"Sorry, but do you think you could hide us in your wagon?" the noble asked, though it felt more like a rudely-demanded question. . .not that either Rose or the driver even noticed.

"A group of malcontents after the Fon Master are guarding the entrance, so we can't get through," Tear explained, stepping in front of Guy, who instantly jumped back away from her. Alex couldn't help but snicker; she had to have done that on purpose or something.

"Certainly! After all, we do owe you for all that mistaken thief nonsense," Rose said with a pleasant smile. Everyone returned it (except Jade and Luke) and soon, they were all well-hidden in the wagon and the driver got it moving again.

* * *

"Now remember, we have to keep quiet," Jade instructed, looking at everyone seriously. Even Alex nodded in understanding and sooner than expected, they arrived at the entrance to St. Binah and the wagon came to halt.

"We're from Engeve," came Rose's voice towards, probably, an Oracle Knight. "One wagon should already have arrived."

"Go on through," said the voice of the Oracle Knight, and soon, the wagon moved again. However, just as soon as they were about to pass through the gate. . . "Wait just a moment."

The wagon stopped again and everyone within, excluding Jade, held their breath and froze up. Alex, though, quickly recovered and glanced around; his sword was nowhere in sight. The child looked at Guy, who only shrugged, with a hurt expression then scanned the area again without moving; he didn't want to be the cause of their capture, after all.

Meanwhile outside, the Oracle Knight that had allowed Rose's wagon to pass through glanced at the ground. Laying there was, surprisingly. . .a sword. A small one, two. No one could have possibly used it and be a grown adult. The knight picked it up and walked to the front of the wagon, holding the item up to Rose. "You dropped this."

"O-Oh. Thank you," Rose said, mildly surprised as she took it back. Then the wagon moved again and, as soon as they were out of sight of the guards, stopped. The short-haired woman got off of the vehicle and walked around to the back, lifting the covers and showing the sword to the occupants. "Does this belong to anyone?" she asked with amusement.

"Yup!" Alex said happily, easily going over and taking it back gratefully, thanking the woman as he hopped out of the wagon. Guy sighed and followed after the kid, and it wasn't long after that everyone else hopped out of the wagon as well.

"You could have seriously jeopardized our cover," Tear scolded, looking at the blue-haired child. Said child cringed slightly at the tone, not at all liking being reprimanded by the girl. She seemed to notice this, because a moment later, her expression softened and she blushed faintly; she really couldn't help it. He was just so _cute_! "I-I mean. . .well, just be careful next time."

"Okay!"

"Hey, wait. How come you're always yelling at me every time _I_ screw something up!" Luke instantly spoke up, glaring at Tear.

"You're seventeen. He's only a child," Tear retorted, looking boredly away from Luke, who continued to get on her case.

"Well, this certainly is interesting," Jade remarked, a pleasant (or fake, in his case) smile on his face and hands casually in his pockets. "Now. . .let's be on our way to the Malkuth Military Headquarters."

"Why there?" Alex asked curiously.

"Because that's where we were supposed to meet Anise should she get here before us."

* * *

The group arrived at the very place Jade mentioned, with the colonel introducing himself and managing to get them all in the building (a certain redhead certainly wasn't stupid enough to blurt out who he was in a place like this). They were informed that the man in charge (a man by the name of General McGovern, apparently) was already seeing someone, so they had to wait. However. . .

"Officially, the Oracle Knights are considered Scorers. We can't do anything about them without a direct order from His Majesty," came the voice of a young man from the inside of a meeting room, which Jade was already about to enter.

"I don't care! You know how horrible the Hod War became with their involvement!" retorted the voice of an older man, much older than the first, by the sounds of things. Jade, being Jade, simply opened the door and walked in quietly, not even attracting the attention of either men, who, now that they were seen, appeared to be father and son. The younger man had hair equally as white as the elder, who was short and had a _long_ white beard(1).

"My apologies for interrupting," Jade spoke as Luke and company walked into the room with him, the colonel walking right up to the elder.

"Jade the Necromancer," the younger man breathed; he sounded like he'd just seen him for the first time in his life. Which. . .could probably be the case.

"Jade! If it isn't you!" the elder cried out, sounding as happy as can be.

"Field Marshal McGovern," the brunette acknowledged, giving a nod in his direction.

"I'm retired now. There's no need for those formalities." The Field Marshal looked at the group with Jade, from Tear to Ion. . .from Guy to Luke. . .and finally resting his eyes on Alex. The elder blinked and so did the child; it looked like he wanted to say something, yet just didn't know quite how to put it. But as though brushing it off as something unimportant, McGovern turned his attention back at Jade. "What about you? Don't you think it's time you accepted a promotion? You could've easily made it to lieutenant general by now, even at your age."

"I don't know. I have my hands full just being a colonel. . ."

"By the way. Do you think you could get His Majesty to do something about these Oracle Knights?" McGovern asked, getting straight to the point.

"They're chasing us. They'll go away once we leave," Alex spoke up before Jade even had the chance.

"Yes, as he said, they're after us. But I'm afraid I can't tell you the details. I'm under orders from His Majesty," the colonel apologized.

"Jade the Necromancer. . .what brings you here?" the man asked, looking seriously at Jade, who returned the same gaze.

"Oh, right. Did a Fon Master Guardian come by and leave a letter of sorts?"

"Yes. However, we had to open it to confirm its contents, for security reasons."

"I see. Well, there shouldn't be anything inside that isn't suspicious, as you can see."

The man, who was introduced as being McGovern's son, Glenn, pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded up and gave it to Jade, who promptly read it. It didn't take long, but nonetheless, Tear hung out in the back whole Guy and Alex stood by Luke, who had his hands behind his head. Jade, much to everyone's surprise, handed the letter to the blue-haired child, who looked confused.

"It appears half of the letter is addressed to you," the brunette provided. Alex took it and, after another questioning look, began to read.

Dearest Colonel Jade,

I made it to St. Binah safe and sound!

And I'm taking good care of you-know-what!

Aren't you proud of me? 

The Oracle Knights are going to close St. Binah off soon,

So I'm gonna head to the next location.

And. . .how's my darling Alex?

(Oh! I'm so embarrassed. I just confessed my feelings! )

Alex. . .it's so lonely without you! All these big scary monsters out here are trying to eat me!

I can't wait to see you again! 

Oh, and say Hi to Ion and everyone for me as well.

Bye-Bye for now! 

Love, Anise! 

Alex turned beet red, providing strong competition for Luke's hair in colour as he promptly shredded the letter to tiny pieces, but not before the young noble and blonde swordsman had had a chance to read it.

"Oh, man! Kid, I feel sorry for you," Luke laughed, having to use Guy as support since he was laughing so hard.

"Damn. You really are popular with the girls," Guy chuckled, though Alex could tell he was struggling to keep from laughing too much. This really got to the child.

"Shut up!"

"Now, now. Let's not make fun of Alex's love-life, no matter how_adorable_ it could possibly be, what with him being only eleven and all," Jade remarked, obvious taunts in his voice. _I'll kill them. They're all dead. When they're asleep, they're dead,_ Alex told himself, a darker shade of crimson painting itself on his face. After everyone was through torturing him (and, thankfully, Tear managed to help end it), they all said their good-bye's to the McGoverns and left the building.

* * *

"Is there any sign of the Fon Master?" Legretta the Quick asked the Oracle Knights stationed in front of St. Binah.

"No, ma'am. There have been no reports of him entering," the knight reported.

"Understood."

"Those people with Ion are the ones that killed Mommy. My liger friends told me," Arietta the Wild said sadly, tears welling up in her eyes for probably the thousandth time.

"If I hadn't let that Necromancer get away, we wouldn't be in this mess," Largo the Black Lion remarked, looking sour and, possibly, sore; it was hard to tell.

"I can't believe we lost both the Fon Master and that Kinjo brat. We should have been able to keep at least one," a green-haired boy in black next to Arietta said in a voice that clearly told all how "high and mighty" he thought of himself as. Then, a ridiculously bone-chilling laughter broke through the growing silence, causing all of the God-Generals present to look in the direction of an overly-large floating chair that seated a man with snow-coloured hair, round glasses and an outfit that had a horrid pink collar that could easily cover his head from behind. . .and beside, if seen at the right angle.

"That's why I told you," the man spoke, adjusting his glasses from the rims. "Only one such as myself can defeat that duplicitous snake Jade, the wonderful and elegant Dist the Rose!"

"You mean Dist the Reaper," the green-haired boy commented.

"Grr. . .how is one such as myself a reaper and not a rose?!" Dist demanded, instantly riled up.

"At any rate, we should withdraw our troops, or we could spark a diplomatic incident with Malkuth."

"Hey. . ."

"But-!" Largo spoke up, though a look from the green-haired boy shut him up.

"You're still wounded. That Necromancer almost killed you," the boy said, further ignoring Dist. "You should rest until your wound heals."

"Hey! Listen to me when I'm talking!"

"Sync is right. Withdraw the troops and let's go back to the Tartarus to discuss our course of action," Legretta instructed. Largo seemed reluctant, but he nodded in agreement.

"First Division, withdraw! Inform the others!" the broad man ordered to the Oracle Knight.

"Yes, sir!" And with that, the metal-clad soldier ran off to fulfill his order. Soon, Legretta, Largo, Arietta, and Sync walked back to the giant landship, leaving Dist behind, positively fuming.

"Grr. . .you're all just jealous of my intelligence and beauty!" Dist fumed before his floating chair flew up into the hair after his comrades.

* * *

"Damn. . .Largo survived," Jade cursed, anger evident in his tone.

"That's my first time seeing the Six God-Generals," Guy commented, looking in the direction where the mentioned had been just moments before. Currently, everyone was hiding behind one of the giant doors that could barricade and protect St. Binah from an attack when closed, having been warned by Tear.

"I could've sworn I got 'im," Alex sighed, obviously disappointed in his littler failure.

"Woah, hold up. Six? I only saw five," Luke said, blinking in obvious confusion.

"Let's see. . .there was Largo the Black Lion, Arietta the Wild," Guy listed, counting on his fingers. "Legretta the Quick, Dist the Reaper, Sync the Tempest. . ."

"And Asch the Bloody was the one missing," Alex concluded with a smile. Guy gave him a weird look.

"Why the hell are you smiling. . .?"

"I'm eleven. Let me have my moments."

"Okaaaay then," Luke said, rolling his eyes before coming out of their hiding place and looking where the God-Generals had been. "Why are they after us, anyway?"

"The God-Generals are Van's immediate subordinates," Tear explained, folding her arms as she walked out as well, closely followed by everyone else. "Van is the one looking for war."

"Woah, hold up. Master Van would never try that!" Luke immediately defended, glaring at Tear.

"It's just the sort of thing my brother would do. . ."

"The God-Generals side with the Grand Maestro faction. It's more likely that Mohs' may be giving Van orders," Jade contemplated.

"Grand Maestro Mohs would never want a war," Tear argued, her gaze now on the Malkuth colonel. "He only wishes for the fulfillment of the score. I'm on a mission from the Grand Maestro, and while I can't divulge any information, I can assure you that it is one of peace."

"Yeah, well, Master Van wouldn't want a war either!" Luke snapped. "How do we know you aren't a spy for that Mohs' guy, anyway?"

"Please, settle down," Ion asked, a worried expression on his face.

"Come on, guys. You're setting a bad example," Alex sighed as Luke and Tear seemed to have a little staring match.

"I'm sorry. You're right," the girl finally gave in, letting her hands relax to her sides.

"Hmph. I'm not accepting the apology of anyone who badmouths Master Van," the young noble stubbornly said, looking away from Tear, who merely let out an inaudible sigh.

"Well. Now that that's over with. Let's make our way to Kaitzur," Jade said as he turned and started to lead the way out of St. Binah. Alex and Guy could only look at the colonel with disbelief on their faces.

"You're unbelievable," the blonde commented.

"He's. . .not human, is he?" Alex questioned, earning a small smirk from Jade.

"Can we at least rest for the night?" Ion asked, earning everyone's attention.

"Huh. Come to think of it, you do look pale again," Luke commented. "I say why not."

"I see he has a soft side after all," Jade commented, turning back to the group, his smirk still evident.

"He may act like a total jerk, but he does care about others," Guy shrugged while Alex stifled a giggle. A faint shade of pink painted itself across Luke's face.

"Sh-Shut up!"

* * *

They rented a room for the night, chatting about various things. At one point, Jade questioned Ion and Alex about where they were taken. Ion never mentioned a word and Alex, remembering his promise, didn't either. The colonel seemed to think about things but, after a little while, everyone was allowed to leave. Luke did have his questions, though, and they were promptly answered by Tear and Guy.

Now, everyone was asleep, resting and regaining their energy, as tomorrow's journey would not be an easy one; they'd learned that to get to Kaitzur, they had to cross the Fubras River. But the bridge across had been destroyed and so they had to find a spot where they could safely cross; no big deal, right?

Wrong. Because tonight, Alex had trouble sleeping. Tossing and turning, nightmares and visions and all sorts of crazy things plagued his sleep. It wasn't until he heard something smash from beside him that he woke up with a start, breathing as though he'd ran a marathon. He looked to his right, finding a smashed potted plant; whoops. He'd probably let some fonons loose in his sleep. That'd be fun to explain.

Sighing, the child quietly crawled out of bed so as not to wake up the others, creating a small little cushion of wind fonons beneath his feet so he wouldn't make any sound. As he stepped on the ground and walked across the room, though, he could've sworn he saw Jade twitch in his sleep, and he sincerely hoped he wasn't a light sleeper. Then again, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, since he was an army colonel.

Finally making it outside, Alex stretched and breathed in the fresh night air, looking up at the bright moon; in Baticul, it was normally hard to see because the castle was always blocking the way. But here in St. Binah. . .he could see it perfectly. Now, if only he had the perfect spot.

The blue-haired child looked back at the inn building, an idea sparking in his head. With haste and ease, he scaled the building, climbing up to the top onto the roof and sitting there comfortably, getting a better view of the moon than from the ground; it really was nice. Nice and pretty.

'_Don't you love the sight?'_

Alex blinked and looked around; had he heard a woman's voice? Or was he imagining things? He probably was tired after all, but that didn't explain why he couldn't sleep.

'_Imagine if the wind was blowing right now. Wouldn't that be even nicer?'_

This time, the child ignored it, simply humming a small tune(2) to himself that he'd always known. From where, he didn't know. But it was there, and always had been, and would hopefully forever be there. After what felt like a good hour or two, Alex finally felt sleepy and stood up from his spot, carefully made his way back to where he had climbed from. However, as luck would have it, his foot slipped, and he was soon falling off the roof, down to the ground that had to be at least thirty feet down.

'_Come! Use your power! Sylph is with you!'_

_How am I supposed to do that?!_ Alex demanded of the voice, though it did not respond back. Bracing himself for impact, the child repeatedly prayed that he'd survive this fall, even if he was_shattered_ into a million pieces, he just hoped he would_survive_! That was better than nothing, _right_?

Ten feet from the ground and almost colliding with it, the child closed his eyes tight, waiting for the evident pain that was to come.

And yet. . .

. . .it never came.

_Am I dead?_ Alex didn't dare open his eyes, for fear of seeing some strange white light that was apparently seen when you were dying. No, wait. . .that was when your eyes _weren't_ open. Then. . .he was alive? But there was no pain!

"Well, well. Look who decided to drop in," an awfully familiar voice sneered, and Alex became aware that he was being held in a pair of strong arms. And. . .he knew that voice. But even as he opened his eyes, he _hoped_ that he was only hallucinating because of the shock.

But it was clear.

Asch the Bloody had just caught him, and he looked like his birthday had just come early this year.

* * *

Alex - No way.

Cao - What?

Alex - NO! I won't do it!

Cao - Aw, come on! Anise doesn't bite! Neither does As--wait. Yes. Yes, he does.

Alex - I quit!

Cao - You can't quit! You're under a legal contract!

Alex - WHAT!

Cao - Let me rephrase that: you quit, you're erased. 'Sides, you've got a fanart coming at one point or another.

Alex - . . .I hate you, you evil little witch.

Cao - I know I am. Review, please, readers? I know you're out there! DON'T HIDE FROM ME!

Alex - . . .She's finally lost it.


	21. Taken

Cao - Heeeeey! It's me again! With yet another chapter! Sheesh, didn't I update, like. . .yesterday or something? Whatever.

Alex - You're hiding it well.

Cao - Hiding what?

Alex - Your anger.

Cao - . . .You want me to be mad?

Alex - Err. . .

Cao - OKAY THEN! FFNET, I WILL SO GET YOU AND BLAH BLAH BLAH!

Alex - oO;

Cao - Happy?

Alex - . . .Not really.

Cao - THEN DON'T COMPLAIN!

Alex - A-Anyway, we're gonna see if we can get a beta reader to help out with this fanfic, mainly because Cao's blind as a bat on some occasions. If you're gonna volunteer, then toss PM by! You will, of course, be given credit for your hard work. After all, it's not exactly easy to beta read, is it?

Cao - Nope.

Alex - On to business! Cao does not own Tales of the Abyss and its characters in any way. Namco does. Her only property is me, Alex. Steal me, and you get stabbed to death by a million tiny needles.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty – Taken**

Now, there were definitely times where Alex was scared. And there were definitely times when he was frightened, upset, distressed, irritated. . .all those negative feelings. Hell, he'd even felt scared half to death once (an incident he vowed to _never_ mention as long as he lived).

But right now. . .now, he felt so terrified that it was a wonder he hadn't melted into a little blue puddle.

"I suppose I could let you go right now and just take you back from that dreck and his friends later," Asch contemplated, a smirk spreading across his face. "But then again. . .I have you right now. And everyone seems to need you."

"I'm only eleven, y'know," Alex pointed out, yelping when he was suddenly dropped; he was just lucky to be able to catch himself on his feet!

"You really don't know, do you?" The redhead chuckled, pushing a piece of his long crimson hair behind his ear. The more Alex got a look at him, in his God-General uniform with that Maestro sword of his, the more he felt like he'd seen him somewhere before. But. . .where?

"Oh, fine. Play games with me. Then I'll just go back to sleep," the blue-haired child grumbled, folding his arms and pouting. He looked at Asch, who only returned with a blank gaze. And, when he didn't think he would be stopped, Alex walked forward, unfolding his arms and, instead, putting his hands behind his head. "Swear all you grown-ups are weird. Even though you know it has something to do with me, you don't tell me." Then he looked back at Asch, a mischievous grin on his face. "How's it feel, knowing you're just like an old guy?"

Asch's graceful response was a fonic arte. The very same one he'd used on the Tartarus; a mass of fourth fonons gathered into ice in the air, hovering there for a moment. When Alex stepped back, away from it, it launched its attack, sending smaller icicles raining down on the child. He managed to dodge a good few of them, jumping left to right. But, because of his lack of sleep, he slowed down, and one of the creations struck him in his arm, causing him to wince slightly and clutch at it.

"First of all," Asch spoke up from behind Alex, causing him to jump (_When did he get there_?!), "I'm only seventeen. Second. . .it's not my job to tell you about things you shouldn't have forgotten in the first place. Though I suppose you have an excuse or something."

"I didn't forget anything!" Alex snapped, lowering his good arm down towards one of his pants pockets; he'd just remembered that he had the knife Tear had given him. Now, if only he could just. . .

"You don't even remember your last name," Asch retorted, pulling a small cloth out of his pouch while the kid couldn't see.

"I doubt you could, either!"

"For most people, it's common knowledge. But some prefer not to let others know."

Next second, Alex felt something pressed tightly over his nose and mouth, blocking his airways. And though he knew he could still breathe through whatever it was. . .he didn't think he should. Not now, anyway. Not until whatever it was, was away from him.

But he was still a child, and most certainly inexperienced in a situation like this. He only remembered ever being in Baticul. In fact, he only remembered up to the point where he'd first met Guy. The rest was just a blank. His lungs started to hurt and he had to squeeze his eyes shut tight as the pain increased; he felt like he was going to burst.

"You can't hold your breath forever, you know," Asch taunted, ignoring the child's clawing hands that were trying to pry him off. But he was a professional; trained. No simple child could beat him.

Unfortunately, Asch was right; he couldn't. Not for much longer. And, after a few short seconds longer, he finally had to give in, breathing in through whatever was his blockade. It smelled. . .sweet. And pleasant. But. . .he also felt way more sleepy than he thought he'd been earlier. In the instant that he'd breathed in, his vision blurred, and darkness finally took him in its clutches.

* * *

"Mieuuuu! Wake up, everybody! Wake up!"

Guy groaned as he felt a pair of tiny paws poking him harshly, trying to wake up. He knew that voice; it was Mieu. But what on earth did the cheagle want right now, anyway? It couldn't have been more than a few minutes that they'd been sleeping!

"Guy! Wake up!" The cheagle poked the blonde a few more times before, when he finally began to stir, he was satisfied. Next, Mieu hopped off Guy's bed and went over to Tear, doing the same. "Tear! Tear! Wake up!"

"Mm. . .Mieu? What's wrong?" the girl asked as she woke up seconds after her rude awakening, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes for a second before she was fully awake.

"Master! Master's not here!"

"Woah, what?" Guy shot up, looking at the blue cheagle with a disbelieving, wide-eyed gaze. "Please tell me you're joking. . ."

"No! Look, look!" Mieu hopped off Tear's bed and went over to the bed Alex was sleeping in. . .or had been. Now, it was empty, and the kid hadn't even made an attempt to even cover up his absence. The covers were thrown back casually.

"Wha's going on?" Luke mumbled as he, too, slowly sat up from his sleep. Though by the time he'd woken up completely and figured out what was wrong, Ion and Jade had already woken up as well. "Hey, where's Alex?"

"I think I'd like to know the answer to that as well," Jade said; for someone who had just woken up, he didn't look it one bit.

"Master's gone!" Mieu squeaked out once he was in front of Luke. Unfortunately, he was right in the redhead's line of fire, and was quickly shoved back to the ground.

"Quit talking, dammit!"

"Luke, it's not the time. We need to find Alex," Tear reprimanded, glaring at the redhead, who only scowled and looked away. Quickly, everyone gathered up their things and cleaned up, with Ion offering to carry Alex's belongings, and just a mere hour and a half later, they were all ready to leave. Guy, though, out of all of them seemed to be the most anxious, seeing how he was out the door before Jade had even gotten the chance to issue some snide remark of sorts.

"Guy!" Luke called as the blonde was already half-way to St. Binah's giant gates. Letting out an annoyed huff of sorts, he ran to catch up with his friend, stopping when he was beside him. "Geez. You worry too much about that kid."

"Well, I'm sorry if I'd rather not have your dad cut off my head," Guy snapped back, earning himself a puzzled look from the redhead. The blonde sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Never mind. Just. . .I don't know."

"You're worried?"

"Well. . .yeah."

"We'll find him! Don't worry! Remember when he decided to play hide-and-seek with us that one time?"

"Oh, yeah. We couldn't find him _anywhere_."

"Hell, even I was worried."

"Where was he again?"

"Hiding under my bed, I think."

"Do you remember why?"

"Nope. But I sure had one hell of an alarm clock."

The two swordsmen laughed at the memory; the kid had become a part of their lives, so it was a little strange not having him here. _But_, Guy thought as a small smile spread across his face in response to Luke's own goofy grin, _he's right. I shouldn't worry so much. We'll definitely find him._

"I hate to burst your bubbles, but do you two care to slow down?" Jade's voice called, halting the noble and servant. The two turned and faced Tear, Ion and the colonel, who took a little longer to catch up to them. "Goodness, you two really are so full of energy this morning. Are you always like this when you're deprived of any sorts of food?"

"Shut it, old man," Luke snapped as his stomach gave a particularly loud growl that he focused on ignoring.

"We'll eat while we walk, alright?" Tear sighed, shifting her staff over to her left hand and reaching into her pouch with her right and pulling out a few rice balls, which she handed to each member of the group. "Now, let's go. We don't know how far he could have gotten."

"Assuming, of course, he hasn't been taken away by the God-Generals," Jade pointed out.

He just always had to make things so much worse, didn't he?

* * *

By the time Alex woke up again, he could barely tell what was going on. All he knew was that he was being carried by someone, his wrists are bound together (and whatever was binding them was digging quite painfully into his skin), and he felt. . .drowsy. . .dizzy. . .well, he certainly couldn't tell which way was the sky and which way was the ground.

"Finally awake, brat?"

Alex lifted his head up slightly, just so he could see the bundle of red hair of the person that was carrying him; he looked familiar. Did he know him? Or was he someone else? Oh, of course he knew him!

"Luke. . .?"

The person stopped, halting for a second before walking on again.

"Guess again."

Alex blinked, wracking his brains so he could think of any other red-haired people he knew. There was Duke Fabre—no, he was in Baticul. Madam Fabre? Too frail. . .Luke? No. . .he'd just asked that. Guy! Wait, Guy was blonde. . .then who. . .?

"Asch. . .?" he asked quietly, his voice barely audible.

"Mm." That response seemed to answer his question, though Alex was still nowhere near being able to comprehend anything at the moment. Everything was so blurry, and. . .was it light out? Or still dark? Well, Asch's uniform seemed to stick out like a sore thumb against the surroundings that, now that he thought about it. . .were insanely bright. Who cares, he was still sleepy.

"Go back to sleep if you're tired," the God-General instructed, though Alex ignored the command and simply nuzzled into the back he was carried on.

"Not sleepy. . ."

"You're not fooling anyone, you know."

"Why'd you leave, anyway?"

"Hn?"

"Seven years ago," Alex continued, even when Asch had stopped walking again; at least they were out of sight of St. Binah, right? "You were there. . .at the manor in Baticul. But then you left with someone. . .don't remember who."

Asch felt a weight drop in his stomach, though he simply continued to walk again with a blank expression; he knew what Alex meant. It wasn't hard to guess. The kid was a servant in the Fabre manor, wasn't he? "There are a lot of manors there, you know."

"Fabre manor. You were there. . ."

"Drop it, alright?"

"But—"

"I said drop it!" Asch snapped. Silence came between the two, and the God-General vaguely became aware that the child was shivering. He swore silently; he hadn't meant to scare the kid. But he couldn't help it. "Look, just sleep, alright?"

". . .Fine."

And the child drifted back off to the dark realm of sleep.

* * *

Cao - Aaaaw. I think I put in some Asch/Alex fluff in there! Brotherly fluff, anyway. Hell will freeze over before the day Alex turns gay.

Alex - You said it.

Cao - Besides, I don't like writing Yaoi. It's not really that easy for me.

Alex - And yet you have Evan.

Cao - Hush! He's not supposed to be mentioned!

Alex - Okay then. Review, please! 


	22. Fun With the God Generals

Cao - (bursts in) ICANEXPLAINJUSTDON'THITTHATBUTTONYET!!

Alex - Oh, this should be good. . .

Cao - It is.

Alex - Right.

Cao - (deep breath) IwenttogetabetareaderbutshetooksolongandeventuallyIjuststoppedusingherbutnowIfeelsobaaaaad! T.T

Alex - . . .I don't think anyone can read that. . .

Cao - Maybe you can't. . .

Alex - Anyway, shall we move on? We've got a three-chapter special, and if you're lucky, maybe a fourth one later tonight.

Cao - I do not own Tales of the Abyss in anyway! I simply own a copy of the game! /And soon, I shall own Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology! MWAHAHAHAHA!/

**oOoOoOoOo**

**Chapter Twenty-One – Fun with the God-Generals**

The next time Alex woke up, he could tell he was lying on something rather. . .soft? Well, that was odd. His wrists were still bound tightly by some sort of rope, which had obviously dug into his wrists deep enough because he could feel dried blood as well. He tried to move, though all he succeeded in doing was flex a few fingers and learning that his ankles were bound as well, though not enough to prevent him from walking; great.

"He's waking up. . ."

"Obviously. . ."

Alex ignored the familiar voices, though he recognized them as being Arietta and Asch; oh, great. He tried to see if he could move a little more, managing to open his eyes a little. He could've sworn he'd been run over by a boar or something, because his body hurt a _lot_. And when he looked in the direction the voices had come from (barely managing, as he couldn't really move much), he could only see the blurred outlines of his captors.

"Commandant, what would you like us to do?" That. . .that was Legretta's voice, wasn't it? Yes. . .he couldn't forget that. She was the one who'd taken him with her and Ion to. . .wait, did she say Commandant? As in Van?

"Nothing, at the present time. But help clean him up. Someone of his status doesn't deserve to look like a lowly servant." Yup. Definitely Van. Alex finally managed to focus his vision and, somehow, managed to sit up, looking from Arietta and Asch to Legretta and, of course, Van.

Now, normally, Alex would brush this off as some attempt to psych him out and just dash out of the place full of enemies. But there were two things wrong with that plan. One, he was completely surrounded and had no weapon of any kind. Two, he couldn't exactly run with the way his ankles were bound together; walking only. Fun.

"I have other matters to attend to. And keep your guard up; he's smarter than he looks," Van added, looking at Alex for a moment with a neutral gaze. The child only returned with a sort-of angry glare that was hardly intimidating. The Dorian-General chuckled then left the room which, Alex realized, was one inside the Tartarus. _Oh, I'm back in this place, then, huh? Great,_ he thought, focusing his gaze on a part of the metal wall so he wouldn't have to look at the God-Generals.

Legretta sighed, folding her arms across her chest; this kid was hardly cooperative when she'd first had the honor of watching him. She remembered clearly how well he'd fought when she was with Asch, too. And that was with an injury. He was bound to be more into a fight now, despite being weaponless. "Asch, Arietta, you heard the orders. Clean him up. I have reports to listen to," the gunwoman said, turning away from the two mentioned. And, without another word, she left the room as well.

"Hm. . .two against one. And I remember nearly beating one of your butts before," Alex said with a mischievous grin, earning the two black-clad God-Generals' attention.

"I'll go get a change of clothes. I remember where they are," Arietta mumbled before she, too, left, leaving Asch and Alex in the room alone, save for a lowly Oracle knight in the corner to watch.

"Kid, you're pushing your luck, you know that?" Asch growled, walking up to the child and resting his hands on the bed, looking right into those golden eyes.

"So what if I am? It's not like you can hurt me, unless you want your precious Commandant to chop off your head," Alex spat back, wishing oh-so-much that his legs weren't bound. But he yelped and shut his eyes as soon as one of the redhead's hands went to his ankles, shivering and waiting for whatever pain was bound to come. Instead, he felt the binds around his ankles being cut and he opened his eyes enough to investigate. Sure enough, the rope that had been there now lay sprawled on the bed. He looked up at Asch, who was wearing a smirk and twirling a dagger in his right hand.

"I can help you get out of here. But you have to do what I say, alright?"

Alex blinked, looking at the redhead with a cautious gaze, trying to find some hint of lying or deception or. . .something in that category.

But he found none.

The child returned the smirk.

"I'm listening."

**oOoOoOo**

Arietta had come in shortly after Asch and Alex made their little deal, carrying a set of clothes that, she claimed, had come from Alex's family's personal tailor (whoever that was). In a way, he was glad to be rid of the servant clothes. They may have been better-suited for chores around the Fabre manor, but that didn't make them any more comfortable. As soon as the pink-haired girl had handed him the clothes and Asch had unbound his wrists (Arietta didn't question why his legs weren't bound anymore), he ushered them both and the Oracle Knight to get out, shutting the door behind him.

"Don't try anything funny," Asch's voice came from outside, though Alex only ignored it and walked back to the bed, where his new clothes lay. Sighing, he first took off his white cloak, letting it hang on a nearby chair, then began to undress and change. It didn't take long. But when he was finished, he felt _really_ uncomfortable. Not physically, of course; the fabric couldn't be any more softer, and it even felt like he could fight well in battle with it. But. . .he wasn't exactly used to such — for lack of a better word — _fancy_ clothing. It even came with a cloak that held the exact same design on the back as his white one. Creepy.

"Are you finished yet?" This time, it was Arietta, and Alex remembered perfectly well that her little "friends" could easily tear a chunk or two out of him if he didn't behave. Of course, he still didn't answer, simply swinging his newest cloak around his shoulders and fastening it on before walking to the door and opening it, startling the two God-Generals standing guard.

Arietta seemed breathless and Alex could've sworn a faint shade of pink crossed her face, though she hid it too quickly with her doll for him to be able to tell. . .but hell, that did nothing to make him more comfortable. Asch, too, was also speechless. Great, did he look weird or something?

"Well. . .i-it suits you," Arietta spoke up, looking up from her doll just a little bit to look at Alex. The tailor had been right when he said it would be perfect. But. . .wow.

The blue-haired boy was dressed in a blue and white outfit. The shirt was long-sleeved; the cuffs folded back an inch and were dark blue, though there was a small trim of silver on both ends. His pants were pure white, flowing down and tucking in to white boots that rose no higher than three inches past his ankles with a cut in the top in the front on each. A single dark blue stripe decorated the shoes and a small, brown, belt-like band around his ankles acted as a way to keep them from falling off his feet. His shirt's collar extended up his neck a quarter of the way, a nice shade of dark blue, and all down his front of his shirt was a dark blue design, with a silver trimming just a few centimeters from the edge, and extended past his shirt and all the way down his legs, no longer bound to the cloth and dangling just a foot above his shoes. A brown belt was fastened around his middle, a nice little spot on it made for a sword to be tucked in neatly. To finish off the outfit, he had a dark blue cloak that flowed down neatly to his ankles, silver trimmings around the bottom and the same symbol from his white cloak on the back of it. Covering his shoulders was a mini-version, though the only differences was the collar, trimmings around all edges, and brown buckles that fastened it so it stayed safely on his shoulders.

"It feels weird," Alex sighed, examining himself a little; this came from his family's tailor, right? Great. He'd have to thank him as soon as he found out just as soon as he figured out _who_ his family was.

"Whatever. Let's get going. Dist and Sync are waiting outside," Asch commanded as he started to walk on, ordering the Oracle Knight to, in his words, 'get lost.'

"Do I get to know why?" Alex asked as he started following the teen, hands behind his head. "And in case you hadn't noticed, I don't exactly have a weapon."

"You don't need one."

"Oh, so you're just gonna let me get sliced up by some icky monsters? Gee, wouldn't Van just _love_ that."

"Listen, kid!" Asch snapped, spinning to face Alex and glaring at him. "Don't push your luck. I don't care what he wants, I'm not gonna hesitate in slicing you into ribbons _myself_."

"Now, should you really being making a threat like that?" Sync's voice called as the green-haired boy walked up to Asch, his golden mask covering his face.

"So I lost my temper. You would too if you had to deal with this annoying brat," the redhead muttered in response, simply turning around again and looking away from Alex. "Where's Dist?"

"Waiting outside. I ditched him."

Asch said nothing in response to that, and Alex couldn't really understand why. Of course, judging by what Dist had looked like yesterday, he could tell the man was. . .strange. Really strange.

It didn't take long for them to all head outside. But, as was bound to be expected, Alex was lifted off his feet and held by his cloak in the mouth of Arietta's liger friend. And it looked _really_ hungry.

"Y'know, I really don't taste that good," the boy sighed, suddenly wishing that he didn't have his cloak on; it seemed to cause more trouble than protection in most cases.

"Alright. Arietta, I want you to head over to Kaitzur's port and destroy the ship that goes out to Chesedonia. And kidnap the mechanic, too, while you're at it. Take the kid with you, too," Asch commanded to the pink-haired girl, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"I have a name, you know," Alex snapped.

"Dist, Choral Castle still has those fomicry machines, right?" the redhead asked, thoroughly ignoring the child, who's attention had peaked at the mention of "fomicry"; wasn't that the science of replication or some junk like that?

"Yes, it does. But why must we do this there?" Dist asked, adjusting his glasses slightly.

"Because it's closest. You and Sync go stand by there and wait for the dreck and his friends to come."

"Very well." Dist soon had his floating chair flying off to his destination, with Sync following behind quickly on the ground at a run.

"I'll go stall them at Kaitzur." An eerie glare crossed Asch's face for a moment, sending several chills down Alex's spine. However, he soon turned and started his journey to his destination at a run.

Alex swore he would never be able to get used to how fast the God-Generals tended to act.

Arietta lifted one arm into the air, standing there a moment before a big, blue bird (that scared Alex right out of his skin) swooped down and picked her up in its claws. Then, the liger holding the blue-haired boy let go of him and he barely caught himself on his feet. When he looked up at the pink-haired girl, she simply returned the gaze. And as though she had instructed him to do so, he hesitantly climbed up onto the back of the liger, making sure to cling tightly to its fur so he wouldn't fall off.

"Let's go," was all she said, and soon, the bird took off and flew, with the liger following suite quickly on the ground below. Its speed was incredible! It was all Alex could do to keep from falling off the creature.

And all the while during the journey, he couldn't help but worry. It was clear what Asch's aim was. But the question was. . .why?

_Luke. . .you better watch your back. . ._


	23. Reunited?

Cao - CHAPTER NUMBER. . .eh, twenty-two. But two, for today! Sweet Lorelei, I didn't think this story would be this long so quickly oO

Alex - . . .

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Twenty-Two – Reunited?**

Luke and company reached the Fubras river in no time at all, mostly due to the fact that a certain blonde swordsman was determined in quickening their pace ("He's like a mother hen," the noble commented to Tear, who could barely hide a small laugh).

"So. . .past this river is Kimlascan territory, right?" the redhead asked, looking at the various members of the group.

"Yeah. The entire area's a demilitarized zone," Guy spoke up. "On the other side of the Fubras river is Kaitzur."

"Thank goodness. I'm sick of this place."

"Cheer up! You're almost home!" Mieu squeaked, looking happily up at Luke. The noble, further irritated, stomped on him and squished the poor cheagle into the dirt.

"You, stay quiet! Geez, why couldn't you get taken with Alex, anyway? You're such a pain!"

"Luke, don't take things out on Mieu!" Tear scolded, glaring at Luke. "And he's not your responsibility, remember that. I'm sure you'd rather not explain to an eleven year old boy what happened to his pet." Luke, though reluctantly, stepped off Mieu, who hastily got up and dashed up to rest on Tear's shoulder, shivering lightly and holding onto her as though she were his only salvation.

"I swear, between Luke and Alex, I'm always running around the world," Guy sighed, kicking up some dirt; he still felt worried. It was only natural, right? To worry about Alex all the time?

"I'm sure we'll find Alex. And he's perfectly capable of taking care of himself," Ion said, looking at the blonde, who smiled slightly, glad for a little relief.

"Well. Now that Luke's done whining, let's be on our way, shall we?" Jade spoke up, pushing his glasses up his nose a little bit and keeping his gaze from the noble, though only Ion could see the smirk on his face. Said redhead glared right at the colonel.

"What do you mean, 'whining'?!" he demanded, though Jade simply replaced his hands in his pockets and began to walk on. Luke felt even more insulted, balling his hands into fists.

"Let it go, Luke. Let it go," Guy chuckled, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

**oOoOoOo**

Arietta's "pets", as Alex liked to call them (even if he _was_ going to be forever deathly afraid of them), were pretty fast. However, there was only one way to get to Kaitzur, and that was to cross the Fubras River. Asch, Dist and Sync must have really covered some incredible ground, because they certainly weren't anywhere near the other side of the Fubras River.

"Let's rest here," Arietta suddenly called, startling Alex out of whatever thoughts he'd been having. The bird that was carrying her swooped down and let her land softly on the ground. The liger the boy was riding slowed down to a stop, and he eagerly climbed off, fixing his clothes before walking over to her.

"Say. . .Arietta?" Alex asked slowly, trying to catch her eye.

"What is it?"

The girl looked at him, but half her face was covered by the doll of hers. And. . .Alex had to admit, it was the _creepiest_ thing he'd ever seen.

"Um. . .How come you. . .how come these monsters follow you around?"

Arietta was silent for a moment, eyes closed calmly. The liger and bird seemed to grow irritated, and for a moment, Alex felt like he really was about to become lunch. Then, though, the girl spoke again.

"I lost my home. . .a long time ago. But Mommy saved me. And since then, I've been living with her. But that changed." Her piercing red eyes opened again, glaring directly at Alex. "You and your friends. . .you killed her!"

"What? Woah, wait a second!" Alex said, thoroughly taken aback; hen did he do that? He would never—! How could she--?!

When did he _do something like that?!_

Just then, the liger Alex had been riding suddenly turned its head, a low growl escaping it as it crouched low, inching its way forward, as though it were on a hunt. The bird quickly snatched up Alex by his wrists, and despite his efforts, the boy couldn't break free.

"Hey! What gives!" he called to Arietta, though she didn't respond. Soon, he was high enough into the air where she couldn't notice him. . .or anyone else, for that matter. Soon, he saw just where the liger had gone off to.

There, just coming from the river, was Luke, Guy, Jade, Tear and Ion.

And the liger blocked their path. They all looked ready to fight.

Arietta was hidden.

Oh, great. This couldn't end well. . .

Guy cursed silently as he glared at the liger, one hand on his sword's hilt.

"A liger," Tear said softly, as though she couldn't really believe it. Hell, none of them could. Ligers weren't supposed to be in this area.

"Someone's behind it," Guy pointed out, and sure enough, there stood a pink-haired girl, a creepy-looking doll in her arms. And he knew exactly who she was.

"Arietta the Wild. . .they've found us," Jade sighed, slightly annoyed (though it didn't show) and ready to cast a fonic arte if she had to.

"You. . .give Ion back!" Arietta said, hardly threatening. If the liger weren't there, they probably would have ignored her.

"Arietta, please let us go!" Ion asked, stepping forward. The creature in the way moved as well, revealing the God-General behind.

"Ion. . .I can't. Those people. . .they're the ones who killed Mommy!"

"What the hell? When did we ever do something like that?" Luke asked, shock evident on his face.

"Mommy's home was burned, so she moved into the Cheagle Woods," Arietta explained, her grip tightening on her doll. Tears welled up in her eyes and she glared fiercely at the group. "She was just trying to protect her children; my brothers and sisters!"

"Is she talking about the liger queen?" Tear asked, trying to make heads and tails of this. "But. . .she's human. . ."

"Arietta was raised by monsters after her parents were killed in the Hod War," Ion spoke up, looking back at the tan-haired knight. "She was made a God-General because of her ability to communicate with monsters."

"So then. . ."

"Yes! That was Mommy! And I'll _never_ forgive you!" Arietta snapped out, her glare only grew more and more fierce. "I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth and _kill_ you!"

The black-clad girl held out her doll, the thing trembling violently as it seemed to try and expand, succeeding slightly. But then, an earthquake struck, startling just about everyone there, though only Arietta collapsed backwards onto the ground. Luke instinctively went to Ion, putting his hands protectively on his shoulders so he wouldn't fall.

"An earthquake?!" Jade exclaimed, though he instantly put one of his arms in front of his nose and mouth as a strange purple mist shot up from the ground from various points. One of the jets hit Arietta dead on, and she seemed to get dizzy and fell unconscious, curled up on the ground.

"That mist. . ." This time, Guy cursed out loud, though only he could hear himself; he knew that mist. And it wasn't pleasant.

"It's the miasma! It's deadly poison!" Ion exclaimed as he, too, covered his nose and mouth. Arietta's liger seemed to be hit by the mist, too, and also fell unconscious right near Luke and Ion.

"This stuff kills you if you breathe it?!" the noble asked, looking rather frightened at the creature by his feet.

"If you don't inhale a large amount over a long period of time, you'll be fine," Tear said calmly, raising her staff. "We need to get out of here and—"

But all hopes of escaping were shattered as the ground in front of them cracked and split, a wide hole in front of them; it was near impossible, now.

"Dammit! Now what do we do?!" Luke demanded, looking at everyone in the group as his grip on Ion became more protective. Tear made a slight noise of annoyance as she turned to face her companions; this was bad. She raised her staff, but just as she was about to sing, she heard a small thud come from next to Arietta. She spun around, facing the God-General. Just about everyone there had their eyes wide with shock.

There, struggling to stand up on his feet, was Alex. And he looked. . .different. Really different! Well, his clothes did, anyone.

"Alex!" Guy called, and though the child looked up at the sound of his name, he shook his head.

"Not now! Hurry!" A fonic glyph appeared under Alex's feet and he raised his right hand high, balling into a fist. Then, he suddenly punched at the ground. As soon as he did, a mass of wind burst up from the ground, encasing around Arietta and Alex in a type of barrier.

Tear, taking that as a hint, immediately raised her staff, eyes closing as a glyph appeared under her feet as well.

"_Kuroa Ryuo Zue Toue Ryuo Rei Neu Ryuo Zue_."

"Fonic hymns at a time like this?!" Jade exclaimed, thoroughly surprised by the girl's actions. Which. . .was rare, in his case.

"Wait, Jade! That's one of Yulia's fonic hymns!" Ion spoke up, earning the colonel's attention. Tear ignored her audience, simply focusing on saving their lives. A barrier of her own formed around her and her companions, protecting them from the mist that was the miasma. And, slowly, after what felt like a painfully slow moment, the miasma disappeared.

"I've applied a frequency similar to that of the miasma. It's a temporary shield; it won't last long," she explained quickly as she let her staff fall to her side simply. Alex, too, relaxed, his own barrier vanishing.

"Phew. . .thought we were done for," the boy sighed with relief, collapsing onto his knees and trying to regain his breath; it was difficult to breathe, and he was starting to feel nauseous. Did he inhale some of that purple stuff? Either way, he didn't like it; he'd never been one to take an illness well.

"Yulia's fonic hymns," Jade started, looking at Tear with mild curiousity. "I'd heard of them. . .but I thought they were too difficult for anyone to decipher."

"Well, thank goodness for Tear, then!" Alex spoke up, earning everyone's attention and regretting he had spoken at all; he had, after all, just been kidnapped. And no doubt a certain _someone_ had been worried out of his skull. Sure enough, Guy walked right up to Alex, offering a hand to the kid and helping him back onto his feet. But before anyone could ask anything, the boy spoke again. "I'll explain everything later, alright?"

"It won't hold for much longer," Tear called, looking around her surroundings, as though expecting something to come out and jump at them.

"Very well," Jade sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose for a moment before summoning his spear and stepping in front of Arietta, weapon poised to strike. Alex and Luke saw this, with the former quickly stepping in front of the unconscious girl.

"Hey, stop! Why do you have to kill her?!" Luke demanded, a look of pure shock on his face.

"Letting her live now will only cause us trouble in the future," the colonel spoke coldly.

"Jade, please let her go! Arietta was one of my Fon Master Guardians!" Ion pleaded, looking slightly hurt. Jade paid no mind, only focusing on the blue-haired boy in front of him.

"Alex, get out of the way."

"You're not getting to her without getting through me," the child snapped back, a cold glare piercing through Jade. For some reason, though he knew he could easily get through him because he was physically stronger, he didn't think he actually could. Not forcefully. Somewhat reluctantly, he dematerialized his spear, the thing vanishing in a spark of light. Feeling a little calmer, Alex dropped his defensive stance and quickly moved Arietta over to the side, away so that if the miasma came back, it wouldn't hit her; he did the same with the liger, though it was a little more difficult. And Arietta's bird thankfully swooped down and landed beside her, though it took a protective stance and tried to bite off his arm because he was too close, and he hastily back away.

"Alex?" Guy asked, slowly approaching him as the kid bent over and leaned his hands on his upper legs, breathing as though he'd just ran a marathon or something. "You okay?"

"I feel like I'm gonna be sick. . .and it feels like something's scratching at my skin from the inside. . ."

"You inhaled some of the miasma, didn't you?" Tear asked as she, too, cautiously walked up to the child.

"I'm. . .f-fine," Alex coughed out, his strength giving out as he collapsed onto his knees. Guy hastily rushed to the kid's side, placing a firm hand on his shoulders.

"You sure as hell aren't fine!"

"We need to get him out of here," Ion instructed seriously, more firmly than anyone had ever heard him speak before. Everyone nodded, and surprisingly, Luke was the one to carry Alex (it had taken quite a bit of effort to convince Guy that he was better-suited for battle if they needed to fight, though he thankfully agreed after a little bit). The child's breathing was heavy and struggled, and he seemed to grow paler and paler by the minute. A certain blonde kept glancing at him every few seconds, keeping close by him yet prepared to fight if he had to; was it really so wrong that he was worried out of his skin? Of course it wasn't! He'd known him for as long as he'd had to take care of Luke!

Damn. . .

He really, _really_ hoped the kid would be alright.


	24. To Where Again?

Cao - (laughs) MWAHAHAHAHA! CHAPTER TWENTY THREE!

Alex - . . .

Cao - What?

Alex - Nothing.

Cao - Spill.

Alex - . . .Have you been to Dairen lately?

Cao - Yes. Yes, I have, actually oO;

Alex - (pulls off an exploding note from Cao's back)

Cao - (twitches) He's a very dead demon. . .

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Twenty-Three – TO. . .Where Again?**

"Tear, may I speak to you for a moment?" Jade asked, just as they were about to enter Kaitzur; it had taken them at least another day or so of traveling, but when they arrived, it was broad daylight. Everyone stopped and looked at him, with Luke looking rather annoyed.

"Come on, old man, we're almost to Kaitzur. Can't it wait?"

"I'm afraid not. And forgive me, Guy, for holding us up," the colonel added, for Guy had been just about to speak, no doubt about how they may have limited time. The blonde nodded in understanding, sighed, and folded his arms. "Tear, your fonic hymns. . .they're not like other hymns. And Ion, you said they were Yulia's fonic hymns, correct?"

"Yes," the Fon Master nodded.

"Yulia's fonic hymns? What's so special about them?" Luke asked, somewhat politely as he shifted Alex on his back so the kid wouldn't fall off.

"Yulia's hymns are special. Regular fonic hymns aren't as powerful as fonic artes, but Yulia's hymns are just as powerful," Guy offered to the noble. "But you have to know the meaning and the song to be able to use them. I'd also heard that they were passed down in secret through Yulia's family."

"Y-Yes. You know a lot about them," Tear commented, a little uncomfortable with her current situation.

"I heard about them once. Way back. . ."

"A descendant of Yulia. . ." Jade looked thoughtful for a moment, eyes closed.

"So that means Master Van's a descendant of Yulia, too?!" Luke piped up, sounding excited and curious all of a sudden.

"I guess so," Guy shrugged, confirming it.

"Wow! Master Van's so _cool_!"

Tear made no commented, letting out an inaudible sigh as she turned to walk away and start back off to Kaitzur, knowing the others would follow. Luke looked completely confused, though he simply shrugged it off and began to follow her, soon followed by the others.

The first thing they did upon entering Kaitzur was rent a room at the inn so Alex could rest (and so that Guy wouldn't completely lose it). Tear offered to stay behind with – who else? – Guy and make sure he was stabilized, since she admitted that she was worried about the kid as well. That left just Luke, Ion and Jade to explore a little.

Kaitzur wasn't all that big. It just had an inn for the occasional weary traveler that was passing through the border and a small item shop with meager supplies. The border was guarded, predictably, with Malkuth soldiers on the Malkuth side and Kimlascan soldiers on the Kimlascan side, from what they could see.

"Hey, isn't that Anise?" Luke suddenly spoke up as he caught the glimpse of a pink dot talking with a Malkuth solider. Sure enough, as Luke, Ion and Jade got closer, they saw the black-haired girl's bushy pigtails in sight, and when they got closer, they had a hard time not laughing out loud.

"I lost my passport on my way here after some big mean bandits chased me! Please let me through!" Anise seemed to beg, pulling on an "I'm-an-innocent-little-girl" act. The solider almost seemed to fall for it. Almost.

"I'm sorry. . .but I can't let you through," he said simply, devoid of all emotion. Had his mask been off, they wondered if they would have been able to find something.

"Oh!" Anise looked hurt for a moment, but when she turned around and walked away, Luke, Ion and Jade could all clearly see a dangerous look in her eyes. "You'd better watch your back," she said threateningly, so quietly that the soldier couldn't hear.

"Anise. Luke and jade can hear you," Ion spoke up, a small smile on his face. Anise seemed to be startled to see them, but she immediately dismissed it as she ran up and, since he was closest, latched around Luke's waist.

"Oh, Luke! You're here! It's good to see you again!" She stopped, let go of him and looked at the three members of the group. "Hey. . .where're Guy, Alex and Tear?"

"We had a small amount of trouble concerning Alex. Guy and Tear are just making sure he's alright," Jade explained, eyes closed simply, his face devoid of all emotion. And yet. . .there was something about the air around him that hinted at. . .mischief? Uh-oh. . .

"Oh. Well, that's alright!" Anise immediately turned on Luke again, who stepped back a little. "I kept the letter safe and sound! Aren't you proud of me?" she asked sweetly; so she loved compliments.

"Oh, uh. . .yeah. Good job," the noble said, a little taken aback.

"Yeah. It was pretty scary! Heh heh. . ."

"The poor thing must've been frightened! She yelled 'I'll kill you bastards!' as she fell," Ion added in, a small smile on his face; he must've enjoyed that.

"Fon Master, please! Sshh!"

"At least we know you're alright," Jade said, eyes opening as he looked at the pink-clad Fon Master Guardian.

"O-Oh. You were worried about me, too, Colonel?" she asked, facing him and slightly embarrassed. He wasn't one to usually show emotion. Was he really being. . .?

"Of course. We can't do anything without that letter."

Figures. "You're mean!"

"So what're we supposed to do now? I know I don't have a passport with me, and I'm almost sure that Tear doesn't have one, either," Luke sighed, looking slightly more irritated than usual; things just seemed to go from bad to worse.

"You won't need any once you're _dead_!"

A sudden blur of black and red jumped down and slashed at Luke, who was knocked back instantly and sent flying away from the group, landing hard on his back. His eyes were shut tight as he tried to focus on ignoring the pain, though he hardly seemed able to. He felt a little. . .dazed. And he was sure his vision would be swimming once he was up.

Jade and Anise readied into a battle stance while Ion stood in the back, ready to defend themselves if necessary. The unknown redhead seemed to look slightly at them, though hardly enough for them to be able to distinguish any features. Seemingly out of nowhere, Van jumped from the side and in front of the enemy, blade swinging down on him. However, the enemy blocked the attack with ease, locking his gaze and blade with the Dorian General.

"Stand down, Asch!" Van growled, pushing against the opposing sword.

"Out of the way, Van!" Asch snarled back, fierce eyes piercing through the man.

"Who told you to do this? I don't remember giving any orders like this! Now stand _down_!"

Asch seemed to comply, jumping back slightly away from Van, sheathing his sword again. With one last venomous look at the tan-haired man and red-haired noble and a noise of annoyance, he jumped up out of sight.

"Well. . .that was certainly. . .interesting," Jade spoke slowly.

"Master!" Luke immediately sat up, beaming happily up at the Dorian General, who in turn looked back towards his student, scowling slightly.

"Luke, that parry was pathetic," he scolded. The young noble frowned.

"This is the first time I see you in a long time and that's the first thing you say?"

"By the way. . .where is Guy and Alex? Or have you not seen them?" Van asked, his attention turning on Jade, Anise and Ion net.

"We got into a little trouble at the Fubras River. Guy is taking care of Alex, along with another girl in our group, Tear," Luke explained, standing up and brushing the dirt off of his clothes.

"I see. . ."

"Dorian General Grants. . .you're Tear's brother, aren't you?" Ion asked, looking curiously at the tan-haired man, who nodded slowly.

"That is correct."

"A pleasure to meet you," Jade said in as polite a way he could possibly manage. . .though some part of Luke seemed to suspect some type of dry humour in it. Or, hell, maybe even sarcasm! He wasn't really all that sure. . .

"Let us go to the inn, so I may talk with you all. No doubt, I will need to explain things to Tear, as well," Van suggested, sheathing his sword since Asch was no longer a threat at the moment.

**oOo**

Tear sighed, sitting on the edge of Alex's bed as Guy seemed to pace the room. While she _may_ have been healing Alex for at least a good hour or so (at least, that's what it felt like), he hardly seemed ready to settle down and maybe, oh, say. . ._stop pacing_?

"Guy, he only inhaled a small bit of miasma. He should recover fairly quickly, especially since I'm healing him," the girl said for perhaps the millionth time to the blonde caretaker. Though she had to admit, it was kind of. . .cute, in a way, to see him worry so much over one little kid. But that only made her wonder even more how much of an impact he had on him.

"But. . .argh, come on! He's been knocked out for Hod-knows-how-long!" he argued, stopping his pacing for a moment to turn and look at the hymnist. She blinked, looking blankly at him.

"Guy. . .he breathed in _miasma_. Not to mention the power he must've used just to save Arietta."

Guy grumbled, reluctantly walking over to his bed (which was conveniently the one right next to Alex's) and sitting down, arms folded as he tried his very best not to glare at Tear. But. . .argh, dammit! He was worried! The kid had never been one to go through any kind of sickness easily! Why, even the simple flu could knock him off his feet for at least a week! Something about a mutated immune system, according to the doctors in Baticul and Belkend. And now, he had to breathe in the miasmaof all things? Great. He must've done something really, truly horrible without even knowing it.

"_Ryuo Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va Zue Rei_," Tear sang softly, a giant fonic glyph appearing underneath each of them. Guy stared in amazement, all worry gone as it seemed to glow. . .and surprisingly, its affects seemed to be reaching him as well, because he definitely felt a lot better and not as exhausted (physically, anyway). Suddenly, the girl turned and looked at the door, her healing immediately halting as a serious look took place on her face. Guy, too, looked, and soon, he noticed why he saw such a look on her face.

Standing at the door was, expectedly, Luke, Ion and Jade. However, Van and Anise – the newest additions to the group, apparently – were completely unexpected.

"Van," Tear said dangerously, immediately standing up and pulling out a knife from one of the many slots around her legs, taking on a fighting stance.

"Now is not the time, Tear," the Dorian General replied with almost the same aggression, though he walked right up to the girl, looking down at her for a moment before looking at Alex. "You've been attempting to heal him?"

Tear did not reply, simply lowering her weapon slightly and keeping a firm glare on her brother. Guy sighed, standing up as everyone came into the room and up to the bed.

"What happened to him?" Anise asked, forcing her way past the adults and up to the bed, scrambling onto it and looking over the blue-haired boy laying there peacefully. _Aaaw! He's so cute like that!_

"He breathed in some miasma, but not enough to do too much harm. For the most part, he just seems to be sick. However, he did mention that he felt like things were scratching from under his skin," Tear explained for probably the millionth time. Her glare, however, never left Van. "What are you doing here? And why are the God Generals after Fon Master Ion?"

"Calm down, Tear. I have no idea why the Fon Master is even here in the first place," Van responded, a sort-of annoyed look on his face. "All I know is that I was called back to Daath to search for him."

"I was the one who took Ion away. Allow me to explain," Jade spoke up, earning the attention of just about everyone in the room as he explained how he had rescued Ion from Grand maestro Mohs. As the tale went on, Van's look changed to one of thought, and at the end of it, he seemed to be in deep thought.

"I see. . .so that's the situation." Van sighed softly, assuming an attentive pose, as though he were in the presence of a superior officer. "At any rate, I have nothing to do with what the Grand Maestro is doing."

"That kind of makes sense. You may have been recalled to take Ion back from the Malkuth military," Guy said; during Jade's explanation, he had taken to sitting on the edge of Alex's bed after Anise had gotten off and stood next to the Fon Master.

"So you have nothing to do with what's going on?" Tear asked sharply, a cold glare still piercing through her brother.

"No. Considering I was unaware of what my subordinates were doing, I must also take some of the blame." Van relaxed slightly, glancing at all the people in the room. "The one you attacked you earlier, Asch, was also one of the six God-Generals. He may have been getting orders from Grand Maestro Mohs." Then he focused his attention on his sister. "Tear, aren't you part of the intelligence division, under the Grand Maestro's command?"

"Yes. What of it?"

"Are you not currently on a mission for him?"

". . .I am. I'm not allowed to tell you what it is, though."

"Is it a search for the seventh fonstone?"

Tear fell silent and looked away, refusing to meet her brother's eyes. And while everyone waited quietly, including Luke, they all jumped when they heard movement coming from Alex's bed, the boy stirring and rolling over to his side before pushing himself up into a sitting position, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"Wha's goin' on?" he asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes in some attempt to drive away his drowsiness. "What's everyone talking about?" The child yelped, though, when he was suddenly latched onto by a very happy pink-clad Fon Master guardian, squirming and moving enough so that he could at least breathe, having just been practically crushed.

"You're okay, you're okay! I was _sooooo_ worried!" Anise cried, ignoring the attempts of her captive to breathe. Guy practically jumped back when he realized Anise was behind him, trembling and shielding himself, as though she were going to pounce at any given moment.

"You see! _This_ is why woman are scary!" the blonde exclaimed, dashing behind Luke, who was nearest, when Anise glared at him.

"No comments allowed!"

"Anise?" Tear spoke up suddenly, stepping towards the girl on the bed.

"What?"

"You're crushing Alex. And he recently inhaled miasma. He's still recovering."

". . .Oh."

Anise let go of Alex, who gratefully stabilized his breathing and thanked Tear as he tried to calm his racing heart; that. . .had been SUDDEN. He wasn't sure about all girls, but Anise could definitely be scary if she wanted to be.

"Anyway," Luke pressed on, trying to get the conversation back on track; he was kind of curious about something. "What's a seventh fonstone?" Everyone looked at Luke, all wearing either surprised or dumbfounded looks. The noble frowned. "What?! Quit looking at me like I'm stupid!"

"Talk about a sheltered life," Guy sighed, who quickly stepped away from Luke when he was glared at by him.

"You know, you helped in making that life possible. I always said that we should let him go play with the other teenage nobles," Alex pointed out.

"The seventh fonstone is one of seven that holds a portion of Yulia's score," Van started the explanation.

"Yulia read the score and created the fonstone, which holds them. Of course, it was so long that it had to placed into seven of them, each the size of a mountain," Ion said next, simply and patiently.

"Of course, the fonstones did eventually break. Some became the ones you see in the sky," Jade next spoke, closing his eyes for a moment and leaving his hands in his pockets. Then, he opened his eyes again, "and some fell do the earth, into both Kimlasca and Malkuth."

"Both countries tried to claim the stones, and that led to war. Because, if you have the fonstones, you have the future," Anise finished up nicely, a proud expression on her face.

"You don't all have to launch into an explanation like I'm some kind of idiot," Luke grumbled, folding his arms and glaring away from his friends.

"At any rate, I will go on ahead and ready a ship at the Kaitzur Naval Port, which is just south of here from the Kimlascan side," Van said. "I have some passports with me. And with the spares I brought just in case, there should be just enough for all of you." He handed each member a passport, earning a thanks from the group. "Rest well. I will see you tomorrow." And with that, he bowed before he walked out of the room.

"Let's rest for tonight. No doubt Alex still needs to recover," Jade said, looking at the blue-haired boy in question. "But before that, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Okay. Shoot," Alex shrugged, looking at the colonel in turn.

"I want to know something, too!" Anise spoke up before the brunette could speak. She then poked the boy next to her, right on his arms. "_Where_ did you get those clothes from?"

"Err. . ." Alex shifted uncomfortably a little bit, not liking the attention he was suddenly getting.

"What did the God-Generals do with you?" Jade asked. Silence filled the room, all eyes on the blue-haired boy. Then, without a word, the child crawled over behind Anise and hid behind her, as though she were a sort of shield or something; he hated being the center of attention. It felt so. . .weird.

"Um. . .they. . .they, uh. . ." At this, Alex buried himself in Anise's back, the girl squeaking at the sudden action and blushing faintly.

"You're never gonna get anything from him if you put him on the spot like that," Guy pointed out.

"Forgive me. I'm not very good with children," Jade shrugged, hardly caring about it.

"Obviously," Luke said, walking around the bed until he was directly behind Alex, tapping him on the shoulder and causing him to jump and spin around to face him. "Hey. Kid."

"W-What?" Alex asked slowly, letting go of Anise, who shifted her position so she could look at Luke as well. The noble sighed, pulling out his item bag and opening it up. Inside was a blue. . .something. And that "something" moved before practically launching out, tackling Alex – or at least trying to – and clinging tightly to his clothes before climbing up to his shoulder.

"Master, Master! You're okay!" the thing squeaked, and it was only at this, and the better glimpse of the creature, that he realized it was Mieu. "I was so worried! I thought that a liger was going to eat you!"

"It's good to see you too, Mieu," Alex smiled, taking the creature off his shoulder and hugging him tightly.

"Mieuuuu. . .Master's master tried to hurt me. . ."

"He what?!" Alex glared at Luke, who glared right back at the servant.

"Hey! The thing was annoying! It's not my fault he's got a voice higher than any other monster on earth!"

"That doesn't mean you can hurt him, _baka_!"

"Why, you—"

"And here we go again." Guy let out a tired sigh, sitting on his bed as he watched the redheaded noble – whom he was the guardian of – and the blue-haired child – who he felt emotionally attached to for one reason or another. Between the two of them, he could easily end up exhausted by the end of any day, even a typical one in the manor. Of course, after about half an hour of the bickering, Tear decided to intervene, saying Alex needed his rest as he still needed to rest (even if she _was_ curious as to why he could even stand to be awake right now, after just barely being stabilized). Reluctantly, Luke followed the command and, pretty soon, everyone was fast asleep, so they could prepare for tomorrow's events.

'_Lorelei. . .you do not realize the danger you are in. . .allow me to assist you. . .please. . .'_

**oOoOoOo**

Alex - Cao's currently hunting down Dairen. SO, I'm in charge down here! This is the third and possibly final chapter for the day. Ech. . .Oh! Cao's getting contacts tomorrow! And a new pair of glasses. So hopefully, the mistakes/errors should be fewer in number.

Dairen - I somehow doubt that. . .

Alex - D-Dairen?! But. . .wait. . .isn't Cao hunting for you right now?

Dairen - I do believe you said that.

Alex - . . .But then. . .if you're here. . .then she's--

Dairen - . . .

Alex - . . . I hate you.


	25. The Haunted Castle: Part 1

Cao - YAY! Chapter twenty-four! SQUEE!! XD

Alex - Squee?

Cao - A noise of excitement. Look it up.

Alex - It's not even a--

Cao - ANYWAY! Announcements, announcements. I'll try to keep it short.

Firstly; PLEASE WELCOME CULINAROMANCER! A faithful reviewer and now, officially, betareader; I like her. She's good XD

Alex - She is, isn't she?

Cao - Yup! So, yeah. This chapter (and hopefully, many, many more) was edited by her. I saw a lot of silly little mistakes that I shouldn't have made. Ack oO;;

Ah! Secondly; I looked at the stats of my stories. And let's just say I nearly had a HEARTATTACK at the hits I got (even though I know that doesn't mean my chapters were read -ahem-). But. . .I'm disappointed. I've only got twenty-some reviews and over a thousand hits. You're gonna kill my motivation DX

Alex - It's also not easy being an eleven-year-old boy being targetted by a madman.

Cao - COME ON! Lil lurkers out there, I know you're there! Please, please review! It doesn't take much effort. I don't care about the quality of the review. Or else, I'll have to do something to motivate you.

Alex - Trust her; she'll do it. I just barely stopped her from doing something rash.

Cao - So! How about this! If I get at least five reviews from five different people for this chapter, I'll make sure to upload chapter twenty-five and twenty six at the same time! 'Cause, like. . .I do have twenty-five all done and stuff. And twenty-six is half-way done oO

Alex - You've rambled on enough. Cao does not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, though she does own me. Enjoy the chapter, guys! You might like it.

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Twenty-Four – The Haunted Castle: Part 1**

Next morning, Jade had everyone up and awake early, so they could get to the port before night fell. Tear, Guy, Anise and Alex had no problem waking up, so they were one of the first people ready. Ion was still slightly out of it. But Luke was most definitely the last of the group to wake up, even after Mieu, who had taken to sitting on Alex's shoulder again.

"We still have to prevent a war, after all." the colonel had used as an excuse, earning stabbing glares from a rather grumpy young noble.

And so, they were off again, making their way to the Kaitzur Naval Port to catch up with Van, who had said he would be waiting. The only times they actually stopped was when Ion or Alex became too exhausted, though at one point Guy just decided to carry Alex on his back, since the kid was slowly becoming weaker in battle (And he had to scars to prove it, even if Tear had healed them all right way).

"Stupid miasma. One day, I'll blow it all away, then we'll never have to deal with it again." the child grumbled, earning a laugh from Guy as they neared the port.

"You're only a child, so it's expected," Tear said; unfortunately, since Guy was carrying him, she couldn't check on the eleven-year-old, and that was somewhat irritating.

"I know. . .but still! It's icky! And it still feels like things are crawling under my skin. . ."

"Does it hurt?"

"No. And it's not often, either."

"Then don't worry. It will pass, as long as you don't inhale anymore."

"You know an awful lot about the miasma, considering it's mostly all underground," Guy stated, looking at Tear with some curiosity.

"I read about it once somewhere." the girl simply answered, shrugging.

"Cheer up, Alex! You'll get better!" Anise spoke up, giving the boy a very, very happy smile. "And in case you don't, then I'll take care of you! It won't be that much different than taking care of Ion."

"She does cook very well." the Fon Master commented, deciding it was best to keep every other comment to himself.

"Hey. . .what's that?" Luke asked, pointing out in front of them; they hadn't realized they entered the port already. And yet. . .something was wrong, especially when they heard the roar of some unknown creature.

"That sounds like a monster." Tear said slowly, walking up to Luke and scanning the area. In the distance, she could see smoke rising up from something. Then, another roar pierced the air.

"Hey, Guy. . .can I get down now?" Alex asked, poking his mentor gently. The blonde swordsman obliged, kneeling down and letting the kid climb off. "Thanks! Now, let's go check it out!"

"Whoa, there!" Guy quickly managed to grab the excited child by the collar of his cloak. "You don't just go running towards danger when you don't know what it is!"

"But we do know. It's a monster that's attacking and most likely eating the guards."

"Do you know what _type_ of monster is attacking?"

". . .No."

"Exactly."

"Listen to Guy. You're in no condition to be fighting any serious battles, anyway." Tear added in, earning a small scowl from the eleven-year-old.

"We won't go anywhere just standing around here. We may as well go check it out." Jade said as he began walking ahead, though he stopped and looked back at Alex. "But I'm not going _alone_, or else it will be too dangerous for myself."

"I know what you're hinting at, and it's making me mad." Alex grumbled as he followed after the colonel, with everyone else right behind. They didn't have to walk far; the area was slightly littered with unconscious or dead Kimlascan soldier bodies, though the single unconscious form of a liger was also lying nearby. The ship was also completely destroyed, with smoke and flames rising up from it. But directly in front of them, where the ship would normally dock so passengers could come aboard, was Arietta and Van, with the latter facing the pink-haired girl, sword raised and poised to strike.

"Arietta! Who told you to do this?!" he demanded fiercely, a cold glare on his face.

"Commandant. . .I'm sorry. . .Asch asked me to!"

"Asch?!"

"Master!" Luke called, dashing forward up to the Dorian General, who looked back for only a split second before his gaze was turned on Arietta again. However, during the split second, the girl had raised her arm up into the air and was swept up by her dear blue bird friend that Alex so clearly remembered.

"I was ordered to attack the ship and kidnap the maintenance chief." Arietta began explaining, looking at the group below her. "If you want him back, Luke and Ion have to come to Choral Castle." The girl focused her gaze momentarily on Alex before, with some unknown command, was flown away with her bird.

"I really hate that pet. And you know what? I hate her liger too!" Alex grumbled, having been all-too close to the latter of the creatures; he swore that thing looked at him hungrily at one time.

"Master Van, how's the ship?" Luke asked, looking at the Dorian General as everyone else just gathered around the two.

"Out of commission, I'm afraid." Van sighed slightly, sheathing his sword. "And with the maintenance chief gone, we'll have to wait for the training ship to arrive."

"What about Arietta?" Ion inquired.

"I will go to Choral Castle and rescue the chief. Luke, there's nothing but simple rest facilities here. Take the Fon Master back to the border and wait there."

"Isn't Choral Castle Duke Fabre's old vacation home?" Alex asked, looking from Van to Guy.

"Yup. But he abandoned it after the frontline of the previous war drew too close." the blonde swordsman explained.

"Choral Castle was our old vacation home? Seriously?" Luke questioned, earning a rather shocked look from his caretaker. "What?"

"Come on! Choral Castle is where they found you after the kidnapping!"

"I don't really remember anything from back then! It's not my fault! Maybe if I go there, though, I'll remember something."

"Better to have no memory than to have glimpses of gruesome ones." Alex muttered under his breath, to himself more than anything. Though he wasn't sure if Guy had heard or not; he hoped not.

"Wait just one second here!" Alex interrupted, stepping in between Luke and Van, looking up at the older of the two. "If we do that, won't we be ignoring Arietta's demands?"

"You must remember that we're on a mission to prevent war." Jade answered, pushing his glasses up his nose then assuming his regular pose. "It's much too dangerous to take the only two people who hold the power to prevent this war just to rescue one person."

". . .That was cold, even for you."

"I'm flattered."

"I'll see you at the border, then." Van bowed before he set off to his destination, leaving the group behind.

"Let's be on our way as well, then. Shall we?" And without even waiting for an answer, Jade began leading the group, who followed with some slightly reluctance; they knew better than to try and dissuade him at this point.

"Fon Master Ion!"

However, just as they were about to exist the port, two men from the maintenance crew ran up and in front of them, arms spread out to either side of them and blocking their paths. Anise immediately stepped in front of Ion, fulfilling her role as his guard.

"What business do you have with the Fon Master?"

"Please, you have to save the chief!" one of the men pleaded.

"He's a devout follower of the Order of Lorelei!" the other cried.

"He was relieved when his birthday Score promised that calamity would be avoided!"

"I say we go," Ion said, nodding in understanding to the two men, who looked relieved for a second. "Arietta told me to come, anyway."

"Ignoring someone who was told by the Score to be safe from calamity would be ignoring it." Tear sighed, agreeing in her own way as well.

"I guess I'll go, too." Guy sighed; everyone was bound to go, one way or another. Besides. . . "There are some things I'd like to check out at that place."

"I'm following whoever at this point. Duke Fabre told me to find Luke, and I already did that. So I guess," Alex said, clasping his hands behind his head as he simply thought for a moment, "I'm going with whatever Luke wants. Huh. Guess it's not really 'whoever'."

"No way am I going." Luke announced firmly. "Master Van said I didn't have to."

"Self-centered."

"Brat."

"Snob!" Alex stuck his tongue out at Luke, ducking behind Guy when the noble attempted to swipe at him.

"Didn't you agree to follow me?!"

"I didn't say I was gonna like it, _baka_!"

"Settle, you two." Guy sighed, making sure to stand in between the fighting pair; yup. They could _definitely_ give him a headache easily. Ah, but only he knew the things he would do for the both if it would make them happy.

"Please! You have to save the chief!" one of the maintenance crewmembers cried, pleading eyes focused on Luke now.

"He has a family in Baticul!" the other said as well.

"Argh! Alright, alright, fine! I'll go! Are you happy now?" Luke snapped, glaring at the two men, who seemed oblivious to it and only smiled in relief. The noble folded his arms and turned his gaze on something else, mumbling something along the lines of "Why do I have to bother with this".

"Well. Now that that's settled," Jade spoke up, feeling somewhat pleased with how everything turned out, "shall we be on our way?"

"I thought you were against going to Choral Castle, Jade." Alex blinked, looking up at the colonel.

"Nope. Either way's fine by me."

"You're confusing. . ."

Jade only shrugged, a pleasant (yet mischievous) smile on his face as he took it upon himself to lead the way to the group's destination.

**oOo**

"So. . .this was our vacation home?" Luke asked, a slightly confused and disappointed look on his face as he looked towards Guy.

"Y-Yeah. . .well, it. . .has been abandoned for a long time." the blonde answered slowly, never taking his eyes off from the building ahead of him which was, as a sign had so graciously pointed out earlier, Choral Castle.

It wasn't much, really. In fact, it was basically somewhat like a smaller version of the castle in Baticul, save for the fact that Choral Castle was really. . .ruined. A few more years and it could easily pass for a historical ruin of some sort. The walls surrounding the building were crumbled, with some places even completely collapsed. The pathway leading to the front door had been half buried by the overgrown grass, and the archway that everyone now stood at. . .was no longer an archway.

"I suppose this is what happens when a building is neglected for many years." Jade stated, watching as Alex took to examining a nearby pile of rubble, kicking it with his foot gently.

"You know. . .it really only needs a few tweaks here and there, some remodeling, and I'm sure it'll be as good as new! And, it'd make the perfect home again!" Anise stated happily as she watched Alex as well, eventually going over to the boy when he knelt by the pile of rubble.

"Some vacation home this is." Luke sighed, looking bored again.

"It's completely ruined." Alex commented, standing up and poking at the pile of rubble again, though he yelped and dashed behind a startled Tear, who was closest, when an oversized rat scrambled out from the pile.

"Let's begin our rescue mission, then." Jade casually walked forward, taking the lead of the group once again for about ten feet but stopping when no one followed. "Well, come on. Or are you all so tired that even an elderly man such as myself can possibly get ahead of you?"

"Don't even respond to that one," Guy said to Luke, a hand on the noble's shoulder as he looked like he was about to retort. Really, Luke fell into the colonel's traps so easily.

So, after thoroughly ignoring whatever snide remarks Jade threw at them, the group set off into the creepy-looking castle with Alex practically glued to Tear's arm, not wanting to be attacked by another oversized rat. Or see one, for that matter. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't get him to let go, and thus, had to stay out of the fights. It went pretty smoothly, for the most part. Until, of course, they wound up face-to-face with large fon machine that was just sitting there in the basement, hovering just above the water that had crept there. It was so large that it had a little portion of the second floor cut away just so it could fit.

"What's this machine doing in our vacation home?" Luke asked curiously, walking up and examining it, without actually touching it, of course.

"Is this. . .? But. . .no." Jade murmured to himself, thinking no one could hear. Of course Guy, who was closest, did.

"Do you know what this is Colonel?"

"I can't say. . .not until I'm sure."

Anise, who had been standing off to a corner, suddenly shrieked when a large bat flew out of an opening in the wall, jumping up and clinging to the nearest thing or person. . .which just so happened to be Guy's arm.

"G-Get away!" And as though her touch had burned him, he snatched his arm from her grasp, unknowingly knocking her aside as he backed away as much as possible from her, his body trembling violently and a look of pure fright on his face.

"W-What?!"

Everyone looked first at Anise, who had a rather surprised and hurt look on her face, and Guy, who looked like he'd just seen a ghost. The first to make a move was Alex, who left Tear's side to go over and help Anise get to her feet.

"Are you okay?" the eleven-year-old asked.

"Y-Yeah. . ."

"What happened?" Ion inquired as he stepped towards Guy, who was slowly calming himself down now. "That didn't look like a mere aversion to females."

"I'd say it looks more like a phobia." Jade commented, taking a step towards the blonde.

"S-Sorry. My body just reacted." the swordsman said, somewhat quietly but also apologetically. He took a deep breath then turned on Anise again. "You're not hurt, right?"

"N-No. I'm fine," the Fon Master guardian said quickly.

"What was up with that, anyway?" Luke asked, though he sounded more demanding than anything. As though realizing this, he paused before he spoke again, this time a little more gently. "I mean, you're also scared half to death when any other girl gets anywhere near you."

"I really don't know. I wasn't like this as a kid." Guy sighed, feeling a little uncomfortable; someone had almost gotten hurt because of him. Again. All because of this stupid phobia. "There's a chunk of my memory that's missing. The cause may lie there."

"You're memory's messed up too?"

"It's not like your case. I'm only missing the memory of a single moment."

"Oh. . ."

"How do you know it's just from a single moment?" Tear asked slowly, regretting her question instantly as Guy's demeanor suddenly got a little dark.

"Because. . .I'm missing the memory of when my family died."

Silence wound its way into the group, making a slightly awkward tension rise up. Jade had taken to staring at the weird machine beside them once more, his face devoid of any type of hint that could tell them his thoughts.

"H-Hey! Cheer up, you two!" Alex spoke up quickly, rising to the center of the group and breaking the silence. He looked from Guy to Luke, a smile making his way onto his face. "I'm sure a lot of people have messed up memories, too. And, well. . .you two of gotten along just fine without ever knowing. . .whatever you don't know." The child took a deep breath, determined not to chicken out when all eyes went on him. "I mean. . .um. . .well, I don't know what I mean. But still! Whether or not you have your missing memories won't change who you are, right? Well, I hope so, anyway. Or maybe if Luke gets all his memories, he'll stop being an idiot. And if Guy gets his memory back, then he might turn into some big mean bully who wants revenge 'cause his family was killed." Alex shrugged. "I dunno."

The two in question were speechless, partly from because of the way they could actually understand what the kid was saying, and partly – in the case of one redheaded noble – to keep from beating the ever-annoying brat to a pulp. Guy knew that he now felt a small weight in his stomach, partly because of the irony of the kid's last sentences.

"Brat. . .you really, _really_ want a beating don't you?" Luke said through gritted teeth as he stepped towards Alex, a glare on his face.

"You know what I said is true. That's why you're so mad." the boy smirked, though he quickly yelped and dashed behind the nearest person – Jade – for shelter, even as Guy had managed to restrain the angered redhead.

"How about, instead of beating Alex into the ground, we be on our way?" Jade sighed, an amused yet tired smile on his face as he placed a hand behind him, on said person's head, and moved him out from behind him. "I'm sure that Arietta's monsters are more than capable of devouring the maintenance chief."

Reminded by this little fact, everyone hastily began making their way once again through the castle, and surprisingly, Jade wasn't in the lead for once, though no one dared to question why.

_My thoughts may prove to be correct after all. . ._


	26. The Haunted Castle: Part 2

Cao - Chapter Twenty-Five, Chapter Twenty-Five! Don't you love it?

Alex - . . .Sure. . .

Cao - You're just mad.

Alex - Who wouldn't be if you--?!

Cao - (covers Alex's mouth) Sshh! No spoiling! Anyway, here is yet another chapter written by me and edited by Culinaromancer! Enjoy XD

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Twenty-Five – The Haunted Castle: Part 2**

"Can't . . .run . . .anymore. . ." Alex panted, leaning on Anise, who was sitting beside him as the two leaned on a nearby wall. She, too, was out of breath, and they weren't the only ones. Guy was leaning against a wall as he struggled to regain his own breath with Luke right beside him, and Tear was also trying to recover.

"Well, thanks to a certain someone, we ended up running right into one of the fontech dolls that were guarding this place," Jade commented, pushing his glasses up and earning himself a glare from just about everyone; he was the only one who wasn't tired.

"Stuff it, old man," Luke hissed, straightening up when he felt a little better.

"Oh, but I'm merely stating facts, nothing more."

"No more running ahead!" Alex spoke up, getting up from his spot with support from the wall. "I haven't run that much since I made Bernard mad!"

"Who's Bernard?" Anise asked, looking up at Alex.

"You're better off not knowing. . ."

"Well, we should get going again." Guy sighed, leaving behind his support as he walked over to the two youngest members of the group. Alex helped Anise to her feet, the girl thanking him. Tear sung a quick fonic hymn that healed everyone in the area, so no one was quite as tired anymore. Jade took his position in the front of the group once again as they all walked up at least three flights if stairs. Alex was, surprisingly, in the back, away from everyone as he simply looked ahead, focusing his attention on Luke's back.

_There's something about him. . .that's just not right,_ he thought, frowning slightly. Mieu, who was in his item bag, looked up at the boy's face.

"Master, is something wrong?" the cheagle asked, startling Alex out of his thoughts.

"N-No. . .nothing's wrong."

"You're a bad liar, y'know." Alex looked beside him to see Anise; the girl had slowed her pace down to keep with the boy. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. . .really. . ."

"Is it about Luke?"

Alex looked away from the pink-clad girl, confirming her question. She resisted a small sigh, looking at the noble in front of them then back at the boy next to her. "You gonna tell me? I have ways of getting people to tell me things."

"A-Anise. . .I. . ." The eleven-year-old shook his head; he may as well ask, right? After all, she'd probably know more about something like this than him. "Have you ever been close to the God-General Asch the Bloody?"

"No. Why?"

"Then forget about it."

"What? Why?!"

"Because. . .just. . .please, okay?" Alex gave the girl beside him one last look, a small smile crossing his face for a moment before he ran ahead up to Guy, talking with the swordsman about various things that obviously made him feel more comfortable.

_Geez. . .what's he hiding?_ Anise wondered, a small frown crossing her face.

"Anise? We're going to leave you behind."

The girl in question snapped out of her thoughts, looking towards the owner of the ever-so familiar voice of Ion, who had stopped; she must have stopped as well, without even realizing it.

"R-Right! Sorry. Let's get going so we can teach Gloomietta a lesson!"

The girl's sudden fiery attitude startled the green-haired Fon Master as she dashed past him, back to catch up with the group. He couldn't help but chuckle lightly, many thoughts crossing his mind as he also walked to catch up, though at a much slower pace so as not to tire himself out.

It was kind of funny; the relationship between Anise and Alex was growing more and more obvious. Pretty soon, even someone like Luke would be able to notice.

"Hey, look! We found one!" Luke's voice called; the noble had just been about to climb the fifth flight of stairs when he spotted the tail of an oversized liger disappear from sight, up through a hole in the ceiling that must've lead to the roof.

"Let's go, Luke!" Anise nodded as she and the redhead took off up the stairs, following their only clue. Alex couldn't help but sigh in irritation; he was the youngest member of the group, excluding Mieu. And even _he_ knew better than to just charge onwards. He focused his attention on the soles of his shoes, closing his eyes momentarily until he could feel a thin layer of wind fonons focusing. Pretty soon, he'd had just enough to be able to lift himself up off the ground.

"Luke, come back! It's dangerous!" Guy called, though his attention was momentarily diverted as Alex suddenly flew off after the two. He honestly couldn't help but bite down on his tongue to prevent a flow of colourful little words from escaping his lips; those two really were a handful. "Come on. We better go make sure those two are okay," the blonde eventually said, turning his attention to the three people who had stayed behind. He was met with rather curious and blank stares, making him uncomfortable. "What?"

"You do realize that Alex just _flew_. . .right?" Tear said first, walking up to him. Guy took a step back, but before he could dash off, the melodist grabbed his arm in a binding trap.

"I'm afraid that I'm inclined to question you as well, though my methods won't be nearly as. . .torturous." Jade spoke, pushing his glasses up his nose and also walking up to Guy.

"O-Okay, okay! I'll answer your questions, just please, get her to let go!"

Tear somewhat-reluctantly let go of Guy's arm and stepped back from him, allowing the swordsman a chance to calm himself down. Even though she did that, he still couldn't help but take his own few steps back, now standing on the third step of the staircase behind him.

"Fon Master, I believe we'll also need you to help us with this, as it seems you may know more than even Guy does," Jade said again, just as Ion was about to go ahead. The green-haired boy nodded and stood next to Guy, awaiting the questions. "Firstly, I would like Guy to answer some questions, since he knows this was coming." The person in question nodded slowly. "Remember that night we camped after our escape from the Tartarus? How Alex acted almost as soon as harm was caused to him, no matter how minimal? You know as well as I do what the cause—"

"It's not my place to say," Guy interrupted, earning a questioning look from the colonel. The swordsman shifted slightly on his spot, trying to pick his words carefully. "The kid doesn't know. And I don't plan on telling you until I plan on telling him. It's only fair, since it concerns him."

"Even though you're keeping secrets from another member of our group? Secrets that concern him?"

"Don't give me that. You're doing the exact same thing."

"True," Jade shrugged, taking his hands out of his pockets, leaving them hanging by his side; not something he usually did. It didn't take long before he put them in his pockets again, closed his eyes in thought, then turning on Ion and focusing his crimson orbs on the Fon Master. "Ion, if you would. . .can you tell me what the God-Generals had Alex do at the Sephiroth?"

"They. . .they had him. . ." Ion hesitated; it was hard, considering how cruel they'd been in making him do what they wanted. And he'd tried so hard to try and forget about it. "They used him like a weapon. For whatever reason, the seal placed upon it wouldn't open, so they had him open it forcefully."

"Can you tell me anymore?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"I would like to know why Alex was suddenly able to fly," Tear cut through, ending the conversation there as she focused her stern gaze on Guy. "There are no fonic artes even remotely capable of making someone fly. And even if there were, I didn't even hear him chant an incantation."

"Err. . .that's kind of complicated to explain. . ."

"Guy!"

The blonde in question flinched, not really wanting physical contact with the girl as she stepped closer. "He's been able to control third fonons with a simple thought for as long as I can remember. That's probably what happened just now," he explained, sighing in defeat when he finished. The melodist seemed satisfied, for she stepped away from him and simply crossed her arms, losing her stern gaze.

"Now that our interrogation is over, shall we be on our way?"

All eyes focused on Jade, who was wearing a casual smile as he walked past everyone up the stairs, ignoring the eyes that followed him.

"How the hell does he do that. . .?"

"I-I have no idea. . ."

**oOo**

By the time the other four came out onto the roof, Alex had already had his hands full just keeping the liger from biting off his hand. Luke had fallen prey to Arietta's bird and was carried off. The pink-haired girl was standing off to the side, watching her liger as it struck, occasionally shifting her gaze to her blue bird. As soon as she saw Ion come out with Guy, Jade and Tear in the corner of her eye, she signaled for her bird to swoop down and get him. Anise, being the Fon Master guard she was, saw it coming and pushed the boy out of the way, though she ended up getting herself caught.

"Oh! I covered Ion! I'm sorry," she said to Luke, who had a slightly irritated scowl on his face.

Arietta noticed the switch, raising her hand and signaling to her bird, which swooped down again to the ground, though not nearly high enough for someone to jump and land safely, even though it released Anise just at the right time.

"H-Hey! I'm not edible!" Alex yelped, dodging out of the way as the liger attempted to snap at him again. Sitting on the back was the maintenance chief, whom he'd noticed. He'd almost forgotten that the creature wasn't the only one there, though as he caught the sight of a flash of blue past his vision, he turned and spotted Anise falling to the ground. Quickly, he abandoned the liger and zoomed through the air towards the pink-clad guardian, somehow managing to catch her but ending up shielding her from the ground as he had to land on the ground rather hard, wincing slightly as he tried to sit up.

Anise blinked, looking up when she realized she wasn't in pain. "Alex! Oh, I'm sorry!" The girl scrambled off him, letting him get up as she glared at Arietta. "That was mean, Gloomietta!"

"I am not gloomy!" the God-General retorted, glaring at her rival. She turned her attention on her bird again, who still had Luke. She nodded, and the creature saw, flying over the edge and dropping its captive over the edge.

"Luke!" Guy called, rushing forward, though he stopped in his tracks when a rather 'extravagantly' dressed man in a flying chair appeared from over the edge of the roof, carrying the noble in his lap and zooming away from sight.

"This is not good." Jade said, frowning as he looked at Arietta momentarily then focused on where the flying chair had vanished from sight. "But I highly doubt they intend to kill him if they're going through this much trouble."

"What are we going to do now?" Tear asked, looking at the colonel; like he would know the answer.

"First, I want Alex and Anise to keep Arietta busy; we don't need her following us. Fon Master, you're to come with us, so you can stay out of harm's way."

"Alright," Ion nodded in understanding.

"You can count on us, Colonel!" Anise and Alex said at the same time, then looked at each other and burst into a small fit of giggles; talk about coincidental.

"So long as they know what they're doing," Guy sighed, watching as the two children tried to calm themselves down. And so, the group split up, with Guy, Jade, Tear and Ion heading into the castle once more and leaving Anise and Alex behind.

"So. . .how about I attack from the air?" Alex suggested as he unsheathing his sword and already focusing on apply the wind fonons again.

"S-Sure. . .I still think that's weird, though."

"It took Guy a little while to get used to it, too. But I still think he isn't completely used to it."

"Quit talking to yourselves!" Arietta growled, glaring fiercely at her opponents. Her liger abandoned the unconscious maintenance chief, coming up to the front of the battle. Her bird did the same, screeching an unearthly and rather painful-to-the-ears cry.

"Shut up, Gloomietta!"

"I am not—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Alex finished applying the fonons to the bottom of his shoes, flying up into the air and, with his sword, zooming right at Arietta, slashing towards her. His strike, however, was blocked by the bird, which screeched again and attempted to snap at his sword hand. Had he been any normal kid, he probably would have lost that hand. But at the very last second, a quick layer of wind fonons wrapped around his hand and prevented any sort of injury, though that didn't keep the kid from getting shell-shocked.

"T-That was close. . ."

Anise took Tokunaga off her back, holding it out in front of her and putting him down roughly on the ground. Upon impact, the thing grew to be almost three times her size, and she was able to cling to its back quite comfortably, her staff in her hands; where it had been, Alex didn't think he'd ever know. She hung back while he fought hand-to-hand, blocking the bird again as he tried to strike Arietta once again.

"_Wind Blade_!" he cried, slashing in thin air and creating a shockwave that crashed down on Arietta, actually managing to do her some harm, though nothing too serious. It was a good thing, too, because he didn't think he'd be able to live with himself. The pink-haired girl glared at him, though what was strange was the look of hurt in her eyes as well. This caught Alex off guard, slightly, and the next thing he knew he was rammed down and pinned to the ground by Arietta's bird.

"_Feel the power of light! Limited_!"

A ray of light crashed down on the bird, hitting the blue-haired boy slightly, though not enough to do anything serious. Now injured somewhat, the creature got off him and flew away, allowing him to quickly get back up and onto his feet.

"Thanks, Anise!"

"No problem!" the pink-clad girl replied, smiling slightly before she and Tokunaga charged forward, the giant doll swiping at the liger and smacking it away as it attempted to bite the oversized plushie.

That thing really did freak him out. . .

_Just have to hold her off, right?_ Alex sighed, taking a deep breath as he took flight again, zooming up to the girl and slashing again; her doll took the hit instead. _But even still. . .she's so defenseless. . .and she can't even fight, can she?_ He brought his blade up over his head and swung it down in an arc, ripping a neat little cut in Arietta's doll. This infuriated the girl, and she tried to cast a quick fonic arte, but that didn't work as the boy slashed at her and interrupted the spell.

"Alex, look out!"

Alex looked just in time to see the liger ram into him, slamming him into the ground and sinking its teeth right into his side. The child couldn't help but yell out, trembling lightly as he tried to push the enormous creature off him. Next second, he felt the weight on him vanish, and he looked up to see Anise jumping off Tokunaga to his side.

"I'm fine," Alex said quickly, rolling over and pushing himself up on his knees, clutching his bleeding side; damn. He may just die.

"No you aren't! Quit being so stubborn!" Anise quickly jumped back on Tokunaga, making the giant plushie grab the bleeding boy in its arms; she may be unable to fight up close, but that didn't matter; she'd do fine with her spells. "Just stay put and don't move so much. When Tear gets back, she'll heal you right up."

"'Kay." Alex tried to shift into a slightly more comfortable position, wincing slightly and simply settling; the more he moved, the more blood he lost. And right now, his clothes were pretty much dyed red at this point.

Anise kept her gaze from the injured boy in her doll's arms, stopping it at a safe distance and casting a fonic arte once more, managing to hit Arietta and her pets all at once, though none of them dropped. Over and over, she cast fonic artes and, when the bird got too close, she beat it down with her staff and knocked it away, a rather violent act for such a little girl.

_Hang on. . .just hang on until the others get here. . ._

**oOo**

'_The boy may die, Lorelei. You must help! You must, or else—'_

'_All is not lost. Just give me time, Sylph. . .'_

**oOoOoOo**

Cao - Yay! Another chapter done! Love it? Do you? Huhhuhuhuh??

Alex - . . .

Cao - What?

Alex - . . .

Cao - _What_??

Alex - . . .I hate you.

Cao - Ah. . .he's still ticked off, eh? Well! Read and review if you wanna make him happy again! XD


	27. The Haunted Castle: Part 3

Cao - Chapter Twenty-Six! Yay! Wow, this story is going to be long. AKZERIUTH IS AROUND THE CORNER! ARGH! X.X

Alex - . . .Cao?

Cao - (runs in circles) OMGWHATAMIGONNADO!!

Alex - O. . .kay then. Let's just leave her to her mental break-down and continue, shall we?

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Twenty-Six – The Haunted Castle: Part 3**

"Interesting. . .his fonon frequency is exactly the same. . ."

"Just hurry up and make it quick. This idiot's friends are bound to come sooner or later."

"If we're in such a hurry, then Asch shouldn't have used this place in the first place."

Luke twitched his hand, opening his eyes but immediately shutting them as a flash of green passed through his vision, blinding him for a moment. He then attempted to open his eyes again, slowly; turning his head towards the voice of the one he knew was Sync the Tempest.

"Oh, look. He's finally coming around," Sync said, looking back at the redhead who was slowing waking up. Luke figured out pretty quickly that he was bound by something. . .he just wasn't sure what. And his body ached right around now.

"What the hell did you _do_ to me?!" Luke demanded through gritted teeth. The green-haired God-General didn't seem to pay much attention to him, simply walking a few steps away and pretending he hadn't heard the noble.

"Dist, you almost done?"

"Lucky for you, I knew what I was doing, or we'd be stuck here for quite a while." Dist snapped, though as soon as he was done, he fled from the room.

"Whatever. . ."

Quite suddenly, Luke saw a streak of orange dash up to Sync and swipe at him; he knew that it had to be none-other-than Guy. Lucky for the God-General, he dodged, jumping back some distance and straightening up, though when he examined himself, he seemed to be surprised, as though he just lost something.

Guy, too, straightened up, and looked at the thing he'd managed to snatch from Sync; a fonic disk. Whatever it was for, he didn't know. But he was curious. . .and not because he was a fan of fontechnology. Already angered, Sync dashed back towards Guy and attempted to snatch back the disc, but the swordsman was too skilled and managed to dodge, countering and slashing in an upwards arc. Instead of hitting his opponent's chest, he missed and instead, knocked the mask off his face, sending the object flying off to a corner, but that wasn't what caught his attention.

What caught his attention was that Sync was now purposely avoiding his gaze, a hand covering his face so that he couldn't be seen. But what he could see through the gap between the Tempest's fingers surprised Guy. So much that his guard was lowered, and thus gave Sync a chance to kick out at him and knock him off the top platform of the machine Luke was on.

Guy barely managed to land on his feet with the disc still in hand, though a frown was still on his face, even as Jade rushed down to the machines, seemingly knowing what to do, because he shut down the machine just as Tear and Ion reached Luke, who, upon realizing he was free, sat up.

"Luke, are you alright?" Tear asked, helping the redhead climb off the machine.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. But what was _that_ all about?"

"I wish I knew." Ion sighed.

"Well, as much as we'd all possibly like to catch up with each other," Jade interrupted, climbing up the stairs with Guy right behind him, looking at the trio, "we are keeping Anise and Alex waiting. I'm sure they can only hold out for so long."

"You left a couple of _kids_ to fight off Arietta and her two monsters?" Luke said incredulously.

"Children they may be, but Anise is not a Fon Master guardian for nothing. And Alex, as I'm sure you are well aware, has already proven to be more than capable in battle."

Luke scowled, but he had not choice but to simply follow as they all ran back towards the roof, the redhead unsheathing his sword and helping to smash their way through any of the castle monsters blocking their paths.

--

"Hang on tight, Alex. . ._Soaring Blast!"_

Tokunaga, with its two passengers, quickly jumped up high in the air, arms raised high (having shifted Alex from its arms to its back, with Anise) and creating a shockwave of light from beneath the liger they were dealing with. Then swinging down its arms as it descended, seemingly to throw light down upon the menace.

Anise was still worried; they'd dispatched Arietta's bird some time ago and it was currently lying in a heap in the corner, but they still had to deal with Arietta's faithful liger "bodyguard" and Arietta herself. . .and her fonic artes were nothing to laugh at. And Alex was still hurt. . .damn; if the others didn't show up soon, they'd be in a lot more trouble than they were in now.

"_O twisted doors, open wide! Negative Gate!"_ Arietta cried, her spell targeting the spot Tokunaga was currently standing. With some difficulty, the pink-clad guardian managed to maneuver the doll away from the spell just as a huge, purple ball of nothing but pure darkness formed in her place, energy swirling around it and obviously ready to rip anyone in its deadly path to shreds. One of the things Anise _hated_ about Arietta is that she knew pretty much whatever spell that Anise herself knew. . .not that that didn't have its few advantages.

"You took Ion away from me!" Arietta cried, just as she raised her doll and a pillar of light came down and unexpectedly crashed down upon Anise, Tokunaga and Alex, earning a cry from the two humans. "He changed ever since you became his guardian!"

"What do you want me to do about it? I can't change what the Order decided!" Anise snapped back, stopping Tokunaga long enough to stand and cast a fonic arte; Limited. Again. She really needed to work on learning more spells, or she'd really be in trouble with Arietta.

"You also hurt Mommy!" Another quick Negative Gate, that Anise managed to dodge (barely) and a lunge from the liger; annoying creature.

"I wasn't even there when it happened! Besides, from what I heard, she started it!" Anise made Tokunaga jump up and, after a quick warning to Alex, made the giant doll dive downwards, a mass of fonons propelling it into the liger as the girl cried _"Eagle Dive!"_

"She's. . .kind of stubborn." Alex commented quietly to Anise, loosening his grip on Tokunaga once it was back on its feet.

"Yeah. She is. She always has been. But you know who she reminds me of?" Anise replied in the same tone.

"Who?"

"You."

"Hey!"

Anise giggled lightly before she made Tokunaga retreat, and just in time, too; from the opening on the roof, Guy, Jade, Tear, Ion and Luke came out, with the two swordsman immediately dashing towards the liger and attacking it, keeping it at bay. Jade and Tear immediately took to casting fonic artes while Ion just stayed hidden; no need to get in any trouble.

Arietta was a little caught off guard, especially when Luke decided to leave Guy to the liger, seeing how his caretaker was being backed up by Jade's fonic artes, and went after her instead. This prevented the God-General from managing to cast any fonic artes. Soon, her liger joined her bird, and then she as well, the three collapsed in a pile somewhat together.

"I remember saying to keep her busy, not attempt to kill her," Jade sighed, prodding Arietta's creatures awake. As soon as he did, they jumped up and snarled, looking at Arietta for a moment and, upon seeing her form, settled down. This, of course, did not prevent the creatures from glaring fiercely at the enemies.

"Shut up, Colonel. I didn't try to kill her," Anise pouted.

"Yeah. She definitely tried to kill us, though," Alex laughed, though he stopped after a few seconds as a sharp pain ran through his side, reminding him of his condition.

"Oh, yeah! Tear, can you heal Alex? He got hurt!" Obviously, this reminded Anise as well.

"Hurt?!"

Alex cringed, ducking under Tokunaga's head as Guy immediately (and predictably) came over, though he frowned when the kid was hiding. Sighing slightly, the blonde walked around to the back of the giant doll, getting a better view of boy.

"It's nothing serious, I swear!" the child said quickly, though he was instantly betrayed when Anise felt the need to poke him _right_ in the center of his wound, causing him to wince. "That was cheap. . ."

"Like I said, you're a bad liar. He'd have found out in about five seconds, anyway." Anise shrugged.

"Trouble really seems to like to follow you around, huh, Alex?" Guy teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Shut up. . ."

Tear simply shook her head, ignoring the conversation going on as she simply walked over to Alex, staff in hand and ready to cast. "I need you to get down, so I can see your wound."

Alex nodded, gently allowing himself to climb from Tokunaga's back and standing, one hand covering his bleeding wound and the other sticking to the doll so he wouldn't fall. He couldn't help but look away when he saw Guy's look of horror and hurt, and it was hard to allow himself to take his hand from his injury so Tear could see it better.

"It's serious. I don't think I'll be able to fully heal it, but I should be able to do enough. Once we reach the next city, though, he'll need to see a doctor," the melodist confirmed, kneeling down and examining the injury carefully. Then, with careful concentration, she muttered and cast a quick First Aid spell on it, the flesh healing itself slightly to prevent major bleeding at least.

"Sorry. . ."

"It's alright. Just be careful next time."

Alex couldn't help but smile a little as Tear straightened up and began searching in her bag for some bandages, or even some gels. Either way, it didn't look like she found anything, because she sighed slightly in disappointment.

"Anise, can you have Tokunaga carry Alex?" the melodist asked.

"No problem!"

Next thing he knew, Alex was swept right off his feet, once again in the arms of the oversized plush doll who, now that he thought about it, looked rather. . .menacing.

"I can walk on my own, you know," the boy frowned, sitting up a little more comfortably in the thing's arms.

"I don't want to risk your wound tearing," Tear replied. "And take that off." At first, the blue-haired boy was confused, but when she pointed to his item bag, he got the hint and did as he was told, letting the bag lay in his lap instead.

"I knew letting her live would come back to haunt us," Jade seethed, materializing his spear in his hand as he turned and walked towards Arietta. However, like before, he was stopped. This time, by Ion.

"Jade, please! Allow her to live! I'll take her back to Daath and punish her there, just please let her live!" the Fon Master pleaded.

"That would probably be for the best," came Van's voice, causing all to turn and face the man as he came from within the castle up to the pink-haired girl.

"Commandant. . .what're you doing here?" Alex asked, somewhat weakly as the man passed.

"There was no word of the Fon Master arriving in Kaitzur, so I came here. Just in case."

Jade seemed irritated as, once again, he was forced to withdraw his weapon and let it vanish, regaining his calm posture as he decided to stand by, letting Van walk past him towards Arietta. The Dorian General bent down and picked Arietta up in his arms, the girl having fallen unconscious quite some time ago. Her pets stood up, with her bird taking flight quickly and the liger simply deciding to follow.

"What're you going to do with her?" Luke asked, walking closer to everyone with Anise and her giant doll, Tear, Guy and Alex.

"We'll follow proper Order procedure, punish her, and file a report. That's how lawful societies act," Ion explained simply.

"I have a couple of carriages with me," Van said, looking around at the group. "Fon Master, I'd like if you could come with me, and by what I can see, it looks as though Alex may need to arrive at a proper doctor soon—"

"I'm fine!" Alex spoke up, putting on one of his happy smiles, though he winced as soon as he tried to shift his position again.

"I'm sick of walking. Let's take the carriages." Luke said, acting as though he were the leader of the group.

"Like you're in charge. . ."

"You can't be talking! You'll just end up carried by an oversized thing!"

"Tokunaga is not a 'thing'!" Anise snapped, glaring daggers at the red-haired noble, who looked like he could care less.

"It seems we'll be joining you, Commandant," Ion said, laughing a little as he watched the scene unfold.

**oOoOoOo**

Alex - Cao is currently, err. . .freaking out in the corner over there.

Cao - (from a distance) NOOOOOO! POORPOORAKZERIUTH--

Alex - . . .So. . .yeah. Not much to say.

. . .

Review? We'll give you cookies.


	28. Relaxation at Last

Cao - OMG! It was tarddyyyyyyy! TT.TT

Alex - Err. . .

Cao - I feel so BAAAAAAAAD!

Alex - . . .Cao?

Cao - WHAT?!

Alex - (hides) Let's just move on to the chapter. . .

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven – Relaxation at Last!**

It took no time at all to reach the Kaitzur port, and upon arrival, they were all greeted rather happily by the maintenance crew, who were happy to have their chief back safely! "We'll get working right away on the repairs!" the chief had said, and the crowd and soon dispersed, leaving Luke and company to stand there.

"I'll put Arietta under the care of the Kimlascan guards for now, then go to Count Almandine and report what she has done," Van explained, facing the rest. "Once you have seen to Alex's injuries, please join me in the meeting room." And on that note, the Commandant left.

"To the doctors, then, so Alex doesn't keel over on us," Luke sighed, waving a hand rather lazily.

"That's rude! This wasn't exactly your average cut, you know!" Alex snapped, instantly jumping out of Tokunaga's arms. But as soon as he tried to make is way to Luke, he stopped and doubled-over in pain as he swore he felt his wound just try and stretch open.

"It's your own fault for being careless."

"Better careless than a big scaredy-cat!"

"Why you—!"

"Take it easy, guys!" Guy said, restraining Luke as the noble made to go and strangle the kid on the ground, who was currently grinning rather happily.

"He started it!" the noble growled, trying to break out of his restraint.

"There's a six year difference between you two! Act like it!"

"My, my. It's good to see that Alex at least has some life still in him," Jade remarked, smiling just a little himself. "And how easy it is for our dear noble to get irritated. You make this too easy, you know."

"Shut the _hell_ up!" snapped the teen in question.

"You know, you're really going to hurt yourself even more if this keeps up." Anise sighed as she made Tokunaga pick up Alex again.

"Yeah. . .but it'll be worth it." the boy snickered, barely able to fight down his own laughter, even though he knew he would only make his condition worse.

"At least we're almost to Baticul." Tear sighed, mentally exhausted by the entire trip; she'd be perfectly fine if she never had to travel with Luke again, even if she was the one responsible for what happened in the first place. Still, at least she'd gotten to make some new friends. . .if she could even call them that, yet.

Luke. . .she'd never thought she'd be able to like him, and she still didn't. He was arrogant, rude and selfish. What more was there to say? Anise was a nice person, even if she could be a little. . .strange. Alex was a nice kid, too, though it saddened her that he knew how to fend for himself in a real battle, partly because she knew that he must have had some sort of experience that needed him to know. Ion, she hardly knew personally, though she'd heard that he was a kind Fon Master. And those statements had most definitely been true. Guy. . .was protective, over both Luke and Alex. To Luke, though. . .it was like a friend-and-father relationship. To Alex. . .he seemed to be the older brother that the blue-haired boy looked up to.

But something haunted Guy. And whatever it was caused his phobia. And he was far too familiar with Malkuth geography for a Kimlascan.

Something was up.

And Alex. . .

He wasn't an ordinary little boy, was he?

_So many things were so_—

"Tear! We're going to leave you behind if you don't hurry up!" Anise called, causing the melodist in question to snap out of her thoughts, noticing that the group had already started moving again.

—_confusing_. . .

"O-Oh. . .right! Sorry!" She quickly ran to catch up with them, almost dropping her staff though paying no mind to it.

**oOo**

It took no time at all to get Alex checked out by the doctor, though he had been officially been banned from fighting for the time being ("It was just _one_ slip-up!" the boy insisted, glaring up at an irked Guy). Since it would take at least a day for the ship to get repaired, they were in no rush, so he was to stay at the inn and rest, with Anise as guard to keep him from getting up ("You can count on me!" the pink-clad girl said happily; if they didn't know any better, they'd say she was _too_ happy). Tear had been put in charge of making sure his wound didn't open again, meaning she was to stay behind as well. Guy, who was just worried out of his skin, also stayed behind.

The remainder of the group went to the meeting hall near the dock, where Van was waiting with another man in a maroon military officer's outfit with gold trimmings, and his hair was grey.

"Ah, Luke!" the stranger said fondly. "It's good to see you again!"

The noble in question blinked, looking at the man with a puzzled expression.

"You don't remember me? I'm Count Almandine. I visited your manor once when you were a small boy."

"Sorry. I don't remember you." Luke apologized, feeling a little bad about it now.

"Ah, well. You were still a small boy back then." Almandine examined the group three that was there. "By the way, from what I heard from the Commandant, I hear one of the God-Generals caused quite a commotion here."

"Please forgive my servant's mistakes." Ion said, an apologetic look he didn't even know he had on his face.

"I hope that Daath can deal with the matter in good favour."

"Oh! Can you send a message to my father?" Luke suddenly asked.

"Well. . .if we send it by carrier pigeon, we can have it there before you arrive." Almandine answered, though he seemed to be thinking on the matter. "But-"

"That's fine. Tell him that I'm bringing Colonel Jade Curtiss of Malkuth and Fon Master Ion with me."

"Luke, your lack of prudence is astounding," Jade sighed.

"Jade Curtiss?" Almandine repeated then shot a shocked look at the colonel. "You mean Jade the Necromancer?"

"Forgive me for not properly introducing myself."

"Your entourage is smaller than I expected."

"We had some. . .complications along the way."

"Very well. I will send the message at once," Almandine finally agreed, taking on a more attentive pose. "The ship won't be repaired until tomorrow, so please rest the night here. Then you can head on off to Baticul as early as you want."

"Arietta is currently under the care of the Kimlascan guards. As soon as we reach Chesedonia, our only stop on the way, I will sail to Daath and turn her over to the Order," Van explained, walking towards the door. He stopped momentarily at Luke. "Get some rest. And stay within the port boundaries."

And he left.

"Let's go check on everyone else," Ion offered, smiling a little bit now. "With Anise as Alex's guard, I feel like she may do something rash."

**oOo**

"Guy. . .what's that?" Alex asked, peeking over the shoulder of his brother-figure, for the blonde was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding up some sort of disc thing.

"A fonic disc. I found it at Choral Castle," Guy answered, placing a hand on Alex's head without even facing him, ruffling his hair a little.

"Whatcha think it's for?"

"I won't know until I find out." Sighing, the blonde looked at Alex for a moment, then pushed him backwards gently, yet enough to make him topple over backwards. "Now relax and rest. You heard what the doctor said, and we don't need Duke Fabre finding out."

"I'll have a big scar. He'll find out, anyway," the boy shrugged.

Tear shook her head lightly as she only listened, keeping her distance from the two boys with a pouting Anise right beside her.

"It's not fair how Guy gets him all to himself," the guardian complained, keeping herself busy by fiddling with Tokunaga here and there, accidentally disturbing Mieu, who was sleeping in her lap; the plush had gotten ripped slightly from her battle with Arietta, something she was not happy about, and the cheagle was just exhausted, mostly from worry.

"They've lived and worked together for a long time. It's understandable." Tear said.

"But still—"

"You'll get your chance."

Anise sighed dramatically and flopped over backwards onto the bed she was sitting on, staring up at the ceiling with her hands behind her head.

"Hey, Anise." Alex called, earning the girl's attention.

"What?"

The boy looked like he was fighting down something, and he was doing pretty well at it, too. "Guy's lonely; he needs a hug."

"H-Hey! What're you--?!" Guy cut off quickly as soon as he felt a pair of small arms around his waist from behind. Instantly, his stiffened and trembled, and it took all he had to keep from screaming right then and there.

"Wish granted!" Anise giggled, looking at Alex for a minute before the two erupted in a fit of laughter.

"My, my. It seems we've missed out on something," came Jade's ever-so-cheerful voice as the colonel, along with Ion and Luke, walked into the room they were using for the night.

"Having fun there, Guy?" Luke asked, grinning a little at the way his best friend now resembled a statue.

"G-Get her away from me!" Guy pleaded. Surprisingly, Anise let go, crawling over the bed around him and climbing off, though she quickly spun around and faced him.

"You have to get over your phobia if you wanna get married, you know," the girl said, smiling happily before she jumped back on the bed, beside Guy and closer to Alex, though that didn't prevent the blonde from pretty much jumping up and away from her.

"N-Nobody said anything about that!"

"Oh, so you're into guys instead?"

"I didn't _say that!"_

"So. . .you _do_ like women?"

"Face it, Guy. You're getting trapped," Alex snickered, pushing himself up into a sitting position as he watched his guardian struggle for an answer. He couldn't deny that his side was hurting a little again, but that was only because he'd laughed too hard.

"By the way, Alex." Ion spoke up, walking over to the blue-haired boy. "Whatever happened to the clothes you wore before the God-Generals took you?

"They wouldn't let me have them back, but I managed to take back the cloak," Alex replied as he leaned over his bed, reaching under and pulling out his travel bag, rummaging through it and pulling the white thing out. "But they ripped it a little."

"If you want, I know someone in Chesedonia that could mend it."

"It's fine. Really. I'll fix it when I get back home."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive!"

"Not that this isn't fun to watch, but we do have a ship to catch in the morning," Jade interrupted, earning everyone's attention. "It would be wise to rest, as it is also late."

So, on the colonel's somewhat commanding suggestion, everyone made sure their things were gathered and packed, and pretty soon, everyone sleeping peacefully. The only creature stirring in the middle of the night was Mieu, who hopped from Anise's bed to Alex's, curling up next to the boy and settling there.

**oOo**

On Jade's command, everyone woke up bright and early, yet by the time that everyone was ready and wide awake, Luke was still half-asleep. . .and rather snappish. Van had been the first to board the ship, according to Almandine, and Arietta was locked within one of the cabins.

"Have a safe journey." Almandine said as the group boarded the ship, which was bound to head straight to Chesedonia; it may take at least a day, but they would hopefully arrive tomorrow afternoon.

As soon as the ship left port, Luke had gone straight to an empty cabin and rested there for a good hour or so, feeling a little unwell. Anise had taken Alex off up to the deck, with Tear going along in the same direction (as "supervision," according to Tear). Guy had vanished somewhere while Jade and Ion had decided on staying with the captain, for one reason or another.

"_**Awaken**_. . ."

Whatever Luke had been thinking about early was out the window as soon as a very familiar, very painful noise started up again in his head. "Not again," the noble said through gritted teeth, rolling onto his side and sitting up from his bed, a hand clutching his head.

"_**Hurry**_. . ._**Heed my voice**_. . ."

Luke found it hard to keep from crying out, though thankfully the pain and voice vanished after a little while. _Dammit. . .what the hell _is_ that?_ He demanded of himself, standing up and slowly taking his hand from his head, though he was a little shaky; probably from the recent attack.

"Are you alright?" an annoyingly high-pitched voice asked. Luke didn't have to turn around and look on the table to see that it was Mieu; little thing must've crept in somehow.

"I'm fine. And I don't need _you_ worrying about me," the noble scowled as he made his way to the door. The cheagle somehow managed to jump up and land on his shoulder, though Luke felt way too annoyed to bother shoving the thing off as he simply ignored the creature and left the room.

"Master Luke!"

A Kimlascan soldier came up to him, saluting for a split second for continuing. "Dorian General Grants wishes to speak to you. He asks that you wait on the deck."

"Master Van?" Luke repeated, looking curiously at the soldier, who nodded. "Alright. Guess I'll see what he wants."

The soldier saluted again before he took off, probably back to his post. The noble soon followed the action.

**oOo**

"I'm assuming you both know why you're here," Jade sighed, turning away from the ship's wheel to look at the two people he had gathered before him; Guy and Ion. The former of the two looked uncomfortable, though that was probably because he wasn't used to being interrogated. Or maybe he just felt uncomfortable revealing someone else's secrets? Who knew, who knew.

"I really don't see why you have to question _me_," Guy said, looking up at those crimson eyes. "Why not ask Alex, since you want to know about _him_."

"Because he doesn't know anything about it. Or am I mistaken?"

The blonde opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again and looked away again; that man knew pretty damn well how to trap him, didn't he? ". . .No. He doesn't."

"And that is why I am questioning _you_, the one that _does_ know."

"May I ask why I am here, Jade?" Ion asked politely; he wasn't annoyed or anything, just. . .curious.

"You may have answers to whatever I don't understand." The brunette pushed his glasses up slightly, as they were slipping slightly, his eyes closing for a moment before he looked seriously at Guy. "For how long has Alex been able to control the third fonon at will?"

"F-For as long as I can remember," was the swordsman's reply.

"What of his family?"

"We don't know. He just showed up seven years ago, around the same time Luke came back from the kidnapping."

_That may just be a coincidence_, Jade thought to himself, pausing in his questions. Of course, that was only for a few short seconds. "Do you know anything about his family that I don't already know?"

"Depends. . .do you know of a legend concerning it?"

"About a man who was Sylph's perfect isofon, during the Dawn Age, of course."

"Then. . .that's about it."

"That legend is real," Ion spoke up suddenly, earning both men's attention. The Fon Master, used to being the center of attention, continued. "There are records from previous Fon Master's about that man, though his name was lost some time ago. He lived around the same time as Yulia Jue."

"I see," Jade said, closing his eyes and turning away, deep in thought; he obviously didn't know everything. After what felt like several minutes, he looked over his shoulder to Guy, who stiffened slightly. "I need you to tell me everything you know about that legend, as well as anything else that may be related to it."

**oOo**

"Hey. . .Alex?"

"What?"

"What. . .what do you think of. . .well. . .me?"

Alex blinked, turning his head just enough so he could look at Anise, who was determined to keep her gaze away from him. Whether she was blushing or not, he couldn't really tell. But it was. . .kinda cute, in a way. He heard footsteps, looking towards the arch leading into the ferry, where Luke walked from and passed right by them, though not before Mieu had a chance to hop onto Alex's head.

"I. . .I think that. . .w-well. . .y-you're kind of c-cute." the boy replied, looking towards the water as soon as he felt a blush creep onto his face; it wasn't really _that_ hard, was it? To tell her how he felt? Well, obviously it _was_, seeing how he was practically a stuttering mess.

"R-Really?" Anise asked, cautiously looking at the boy next to her.

"Y-Yeah. . ."

Both children blushed a deeper shade of crimson and avoided each other's gaze. Their feelings for one another were obvious, though neither seemed to want to be the first to admit it. Or perhaps they were frightened that they may be wrong?

"S-Say. . .how's your injury, anyway?" Anise asked after what felt like hours of silence.

"I-It's fine. It doesn't hurt as much. . .a-and because Tear helped heal it, it feels like it's just a simple scratch."

"_Young Scion. . ._"

Alex blinked at the new voice and looked around, feeling a sudden rise of the third fonons in the area just as a small breeze decided to blow by. But no. . .it was too large to be just the breeze. And that voice. . .it was that of a woman, wasn't it? But then where was she?

"_Look up._"

The boy, doing as he was told by whoever he could hear, looked up towards the roof of the ship. At first, there was no one there, but as soon as he blinked he could see the glowing form of a rather graceful and beautiful woman, her body almost too bright to be able to distinguish any features. What he _could_ tell was that she wore a long, slender dress that covered most of her arms and legs, and hugged her upper body well. Her long, green hair flowed with the wind, just as elegant in its pattern as she was. To many men, she would appear as their perfect woman, yet to Alex. . .she seemed to strange. . .and yet so familiar. And he couldn't deny the bright, almost green glow that radiated off her body.

"_Come_," said the voice again, and though all the woman did was usher for the boy to come up, her mouth still in that pleasant smile, Alex knew it was her.

"Alex? What's up?" Anise asked, looking at the boy curiously. He didn't answer, instead just using the wind to carrying himself up again into the air, up onto the roof. _Now why would he go there?_ Anise had to lean back as far as she could without putting herself at a risk of falling to be able to see what had caught his attention. "Is that really Sylph?! No way!"

Alex ignored whoever was below, landing on the roof of the ship carefully and looking at the woman. She ushered for him to come closer again, and he did so, kneeling next to her when she patted the ground softly.

"_You are so young. . .yet so much has already happened, and so much more will happen_." The woman lifted a hand to touch the boy's cheek, making him flinch slightly but eventually letting her do what she wanted. He had no idea what she was talking about, though.

"Who. . .are you?" he asked slowly, looking up at her with curiosity. She didn't respond, simply withdrawing her hand and looking towards the front of the ship, her smile fading slightly.

"_Your friend is in trouble_."

Alex blinked, standing up and carefully making his way over to where he knew the front of the ship was. There, he could see none other than Luke kneeling on the ground, clutching his head and obviously in some kind of pain.

Oh, no. . .

"Wait a minute," the boy said suddenly, realization dawning on him as he turned to look at the woman again. "How did you—" But when he looked back, she wasn't there. "—know." he finished a little lamely, though he couldn't help but feel a little nervous now; she was there, then she wasn't. No human being could move that fast. Maybe she wasn't human? Maybe she was—wait, wait, wait. . .this could wait. Luke was in trouble! Without giving it a second thought, Alex jumped off the roof, landing neatly in front of a rather startled Anise before he took off towards Luke.

**oOo**

Damn these headaches. They really were getting more frequent, weren't they? And even though he was used to them. . .this particular one seemed to hurt even more.

And that _damned_ noise. . .why couldn't it just _stop_?

Suddenly he stood up, no longer needing to use the railing beside him to keep from collapsing as he turned and faced the water, yet definitely not of his own accord. _What the hell?! My body's moving on its own!_ He thought, slightly panicked as his arms lifted up out in front of him.

"_**I have reached you**_."

"Wh-Who the hell are you?" the noble demanded weakly, trying to resist whatever was currently controlling his body. He felt some type of power start to focus itself on the tips of his fingers, gathering slowly.

"_**Show me your power**_. . ._**you who are the same as I**_. . ."

The power was starting to become too much for him to be able to control, and he got the strange feeling that if he unleashed it right here, right now. . .then something really bad would happen. "N-No. . .Stop!" he pleaded weakly.

Someone strong came up from behind him, holding him tightly and close, firm hands grasping his arms, which he hadn't realized had been shaking.

"Luke, calm down," said a very familiar voice; one that he'd always listened to without a doubt, Van. So the noble tried to relax. "Good. Now focus your mind on the tips of your fingers and relax, just like that." Again, he did as he was told, and soon he felt the monstrous power fade away, engulfed by the darkness that overcame him.

**oOo**

Alex glared at Van and Luke from his spot, having hidden as soon as he saw the Dorian General go up to the noble; stupid man. What was he trying to do? Or better yet, what had happened to Luke? Whatever it was had faded, because the wild wind fonons around him had calmed down and started to disperse, though they hadn't hurt this time. He watched as the redhead seemed to fall unconscious in Van's arms, supported by the older man, who slowly sunk to the ground and knelt down so the he was lying down.

Figuring it was safe to go up to them, Alex came out from his spot and slowly walked up to them, only now taking note that Van was still talking to the unconscious boy; huh. That was weird. But what was even weirder was that Van didn't even seem to notice him. So the boy walked more casually, careful to keep attention away from him.

And yet. . .the next words he heard were completely shocking.

"When I give the order, you will unleash a power, known as a hyperressonance, similar to the one you created just moments ago. The trigger phrase will be—"

Van looked up at Alex, catching the child off-guard, especially when he had such a cold, hateful glare in his eyes.

"—'Foolish, replica Luke'."

**oOoOoOo**

Cao - (whistles) Alright. Cookie to whoever can guess my opinion on our beloved Van.

Alex - (spits out hot chocolate and falls into a fit of laughter) Beloved?

Cao - . . .

Alex - (coughs awkwardly) That was not funny.

Cao - Thought so.

Alex - Read and review? Oh! Forgive us, by the way! Cao's got state testing going on, though she's done tomorrow!

Cao - YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Alex - But you're almost to Akzeriuth. We've got next chapter, where we finally get to Baticul, and then the Zao Ruins and Deo Pass, and then--!

Cao - (screams and flees)

Alex - (smirks) Works every time.

Cookies to all who review! Or a brownie. I make a mean brownie, if I do say so myself!


	29. Ha! Missed Us!

Cao - Wooo! I have an EXPLANATION for the lateness! It's very simple.

Alex - Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology

Cao - YES! I GOT IT! HA HA HA!

Alex - . . .

Cao - What?

Alex - Nothing.

Cao - Anyway! I'm allowing my Betareader her own segment at the end of the chapter. She's free to do whatever she feels like, so. . .yeah. Bottom of the chapter is HERS!

Alex - . . .

Cao - SPEAK!

Alex - Akzeriuth.

Cao - MEEP! (hides)

Alex - (snickers) Works every time.

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight – Ha! Missed Us!**

Alex felt himself stiffen as he watched Van shift Luke's unconscious form so that the noble was sitting up and leaning against the barrier in a somewhat comfortable position (as comfortable as you could get, anyway, on the deck of a ship). The Dorian General knelt there for a moment, not bothering to face the boy even as he stood up.

"What brings you here?" he asked quietly; that chilled voice could make anyone freeze.

"I, uh. . .I just saw Luke. . .well, in trouble, so. . .I came to check on him," he trailed off. He didn't even realize the attentive posture he'd taken up, though he couldn't help but shiver as the man turned and faced him.

"You will tell no one of what you saw."

"Y-Yes, sir." It was a command and he knew it. He was somewhat irked that Van would do that, but he was only a lowly servant; he couldn't disobey.

"And you will also tell no one of what you heard. _Especially_ Luke."

_Damn._ "Yes, sir."

"If I found out that you have disobeyed me, the consequences will be severe."

"Yes. . .sir." Van seemed pleased when Alex finally had the courage to look directly up at him, careful to keep any sort of negative emotion he had towards him hidden. _But. . .what did he mean by replica? And he called Luke that. . .does that mean he's a replica? Of who, then?_ The child had no time to keep thinking as Luke began to stir, a slightly pained look crossing his face for a moment. Van gave one last harsh look to Alex before he completely dropped it in the blink of an eye, replaced by a kind and caring look when he turned to face Luke.

"Are you alright, Luke?" he asked the young noble.

"W-What happened?" Luke blinked, obviously trying to adjust to the brightness as he looked around, first at Alex then at Van.

"It would seem a hyperressonance occurred."

"Hyper. . .what?"

"A hyperressonance," Van repeated patiently, looking down at his student. "It occurs when two Seventh Fonons interact, and it can also destroy and reform any matter."

"Is that what that thing that blew us to Tataroo Valley was?"

"That was the same thing, just. . .not complete," Alex spoke up, making Luke remember the kid was also there.

"Most hyperressonances are created when two Seventh Fonists are present. However, you are the only person in the world who can create one on your own," the Dorian General explained, a sudden seriousness dawning over him. "Something that could prove useful in war."

"Wait, war?" Luke repeated. "Does that mean I've been locked in my own home just to be used as some weapon for _war_?!"

"Luke, that's not—!" Alex began but was interrupted swiftly by a dark scowl from Van, something Luke obviously didn't catch.

"Yes. Your father and the king both knew of this. That is why Malkuth tried to kidnap you," the man said, softening when he looked at the noble.

"T-That's. . .but wait, they can't be planning to keep me like this my whole life, can they?!"

"Well, your engagement to Princess Natalia means your holding cell will most likely change to the castle."

"I refuse to believe it!" Luke curled his hands into tight fists, biting on his tongue in some small attempt to calm himself down. It didn't work as well as he'd hoped, but it was enough. "Sure, it may be annoying outside. . .but being locked up just to be used?! That's just—! It's not—"

"Calm down, Luke," Van said, moving forward and placing a hand on the youth's shoulder. The redhead nodded and took a deep breath, letting out slowly before looking up at his master. "We can easily change your fate. If you can prove yourself, your father and the king will see your abilities, and your freedom will be earned. To do that, you must become a hero."

"A hero?" Luke repeated, eyes filling with awe. _Me. . .a hero. . ._

And that's when Alex had had enough. He swore that each second he spent listening to the lying bastard, his fists curled into tighter fists. By now, he'd ended up breaking the skin with his nails, but that hardly a concern. Wind fonons gathered easily around his body, earning Van's and Luke's attention.

"You. . .you're just so--!" Alex bit on his tongue when he looked at Van; Luke didn't know he was a replica, and that was probably for the best. They weren't well-respected at all, that was for sure. But _who's_ replica was he?

And. . .how would he react to the news?

It was this very thought that calmed Alex down, enough so that the fonons vanished and simply left Luke a little surprised. Temper. . .he had to keep his temper down. . .

"Is something the matter?" Van asked casually, a hint of coldness in his eyes.

_Keep your temper down!_

"No, sir," the child spat. He glanced up at Luke once, the noble looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Geez. If nothing's wrong then don't make such a big deal."

That did it.

Alex gritted his teeth, wind fonons swirling around him, though a lot more stable than earlier. The child thrust his arms out in front and shot all the power he could at Luke, who barely managed to dodge the attack. Van acted next, drawing his weapon, though Alex was too quick; he quickly cast Turbulence under the man, who only dodged backwards.

"Why don't you stop being such an ego-maniac and look at the things happening around you!" he yelled before dashing away from the deck, leaving the two swordsmen standing there.

"Ignore him, Luke," Van said, facing the noble again. "I will inform Duke Fabre of what Alex has done, and from there, I am sure he will be punished. Attacking the one he should be serving is not something easily forgiven."

Luke nodded slowly, watching as Van bowed and then left into the ship again, leaving the noble to stand there and face the water, and actually contemplating what the child had said.

"He's so. . ._weird_," he said eventually, leaning against the barrier and watching the water underneath him. He began to scowl. "Dammit, why the hell is he so worked up about it? It's not like Master Van's doing anything wrong!" He played Van's last words in his head, shuddering as he realized what was going to happen; Alex had attacked him. Van was going to tell his father about that.

Damn. . .

How was one kid so complicated?

**oOo**

It only took about a day on the boat to reach Chesedonia, their only stop until they reached Baticul. From there, the group split up from Van, as the Dorian General had to take Arietta to Daath.

Now, Guy had spent equal time with both Luke and Alex. They bickered often, and sometimes even ended up fighting and refused to talk for a few days. But they always made up.

Always.

So of course he was curious when his best friend and little helper were so obviously furious with each other that they went as far as to completely ignore each other. Something had happened while he'd been interrogated by Jade, and he couldn't figure out what it was.

But that death-like glare Alex had shot to Van's back hardly went unnoticed.

"My brother must have done something," Tear said firmly when Guy decided to talk to her about it. "There's no other explanation."

"Come on, Tear. Van was mostly below the deck," Guy sighed.

"I'm convinced. I saw that glare Alex shot towards him."

"You and everyone else. Except Luke, anyway."

The melodist shook her head, picking up her pace so she could apparently talk with Luke. The redhead looked annoyed, and that was it. Nothing out of the ordinary. His thoughts halted as he became aware of something hitting him from within his item bag, stopping and pulling out the fonic disc he'd stolen from Sync back at Choral Castle.

"Oh, my!"

Everyone stopped and blinked as a strange woman dressed in a pink and black dressed came up to Luke, circling around him and examining the noble with her rose eyes while her short salmon-coloured hair bounced slightly. Eventually, she stopped by his side, leaning in as close as possible to his face. Luke blushed faintly and stepped back a little.

"Aren't you a fine young gentleman?" she said flirtingly.

"W-Who're you?" he asked, looking right at the woman. She only smiled, her hand on his waist before she simply let him be and stepped away from him.

"Luke's got some old lady all over him," Anise teased, giggling a little while Alex snickered. The strange woman seemed annoyed, looking at two children.

"Oh. I didn't realize I was interrupting you. I'll be on my way, then."

The woman made to leave, but was stopped as Tear suddenly stepped in front of her, a knife in her hand. The strange woman looked at her, a mixture of boredom and a questioning look on her face.

"Return what you stole," the melodist ordered simply. Everyone blinked, then Luke quickly searched himself.

"Hey! My wallet's gone!" he exclaimed.

"I see. So you're not all chumps, huh?" The unknown woman flipped her hair, placing one hand on her waist as she looked at the top of a building. "York, take care of this! Urushi, we're outta here!"

Two men, one short and round, the other tall and skinny, seemed to jump out of the shadows. The shorter one had a cane in his hand, wore a hat far too small for him with a flower drooping from the top, and had two crooked teeth obvious to the eye. The taller one wore a pirate-like hat with a mouse sticking out at the top, an eye patch over one eye and looked like some clownish pirate captain. The pink-and-black-clad woman and the shorter man took off, though not before the female tossed Luke's wallet to the taller man, who made a dash for it. Tear, being the specially trained Oracle Knight she was, threw her knife at remaining one, managing to snag one leg of his puffy pants and pin it, causing him to trip and fall flat on his face.

As he made to get up again, Alex dashed to the thief's side in an instant, sword tip pointed at his neck. "Hand it over," the child said. The captive seemed hesitant, but he shakily held up Luke's wallet, which was snagged up by the child. Alex then re-sheathed his sword, allowing the man to get up and run at top speed out of danger.

"You've got some guts, making enemies of the Dark Wings," a voice called, causing all eyes to turn to the top of the inn building, where the strange woman and two men stood. Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, they vanished, leaving the group to stand there in confusion.

"They're the Dark Wings?!" Luke, predictably, exclaimed. "I'd have ripped them in half if I'd have known that!"

"Right. After all, you did a wonderful job of protecting your wallet," Tear said, rolling her eyes.

Alex handed Luke his wallet, the noble snatching it back and stuffing it back in his pocket, grumbling a few things that no one could decipher. So, with nothing else to keep them from heading there, the group decided to head towards the Kimlascan Consulate to see if the boat to Kimlasca was ready. When they got there, though, the Consulate told them that the ship wasn't going to be ready for another hour or so.

"Say. Why don't we go see if we can get Guy's fon disc read or something?" Alex suggested after seeing his mentor eying the thing in his hand for the thousandth time since he got it.

"I know someone who could probably have that done for us," Ion said with a small smile. Guy's expression seemed to brighten immensely, so it was decided that they would head to the mansion Astor, the head of the merchant's guild, lived in directly on the border between Kimlasca and Malkuth.

**oOo**

"Fon Master Ion!" the man dressed in extravagant clothing suited for the desert exclaimed. "It's good to see you again! If I'd known you were coming, I'd have set up a grand welcome for you."

"That's fine. We're trying to keep a low profile," Ion said.

"I see, I see. Well, at any rate, welcome to Chesedonia!"

"Actually. . . Astor, by any chance, could you do us a favor?" the Fon Master asked.

"Ask away. I'd be glad to help, what with all that you've done for us."

"The Merchant's guild donated large amounts of Gald to Daath," Tear explained, seeing the confused look on Luke's face. "In return, the Order recognizes Chesedonia as an autonomous state."

Astor called up a servant and Guy handed him the fon disc. Alex could've sworn he saw the blonde hesitate, but thought nothing of it as he ended up sucked into the conversation with the adults.

"Fon Master, I don't mean to pry. . .but who is this boy you have with you?" Astor asked, startling Alex when he realized the man was right beside him.

"Oh. . .this is Alex. He's a servant of the House of Fabre," Ion explained happily.

"P-Pleased to meet you, sir," the blue-haired child said, bowing in respect hastily. He heard Guy chuckle and vowed to make him pay for that.

"I see. . ." Astor placed a hand under Alex's chin, lifting the boy to a standing position while he looked at him carefully. Then he took his hand away and circled around him once, a thoughtful expression on his face as he continued the examination. He paused when he caught a glimpse of the symbol on the boy's cloak, but decided not to mention it. . .yet. He simply smiled and stepped away from him, returning to his position in front of the group. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, too."

The servant that had taken Guy's fon disc early came back, a stack of papers in hand and the disc on top. He bowed his head when Astor saw him and walked up to Guy, handing him everything.

"Here's the data, sir," the servant said.

"Thanks."

"That's a lot," Luke stated, noticing the thickness of the stack of papers.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Alex muttered, though, unfortunately, was heard by the redhead and received a hit to the head. "Ow! That hurt!" he snapped, glaring at the teen.

"If it hurts, then don't say things under your breath!"

"Why, you—"

"M-Master, you mustn't fight," Mieu said, popping his head out of Alex's item bag.

"Guess I'll read this on the ship, then," Guy chuckled, putting the disc away and keeping a firm grip on the papers.

"Thank you for your help, Astor," Ion thanked.

"You're welcome. Anytime you need help, please, don't hesitate to ask," the man said, a shrill laugh escaping him that made a chill crawl up just about everyone's spine.

**oOo**

"So! It's on to the ship and then a straight-forward trip to Baticul, huh?" Alex said, hands clasped behind his head as he followed behind the group, beside Anise.

"Yup. We're almost there!" Anise confirmed happily then sighed. "It only took us a million years."

"I blame the Oracle Knights. . .well, not you and Tear, obviously."

"Obviously. . ."

Alex blinked as a breeze blew by from behind, ruffling his hair a little bit. He narrowed his eyes a little, arms dropping to his side as he looked past the adults. Something felt far from right. . .

In the blink of an eye, Sync dashed forward, passing everyone and aiming right at Guy, who couldn't shift the papers in his hand and grab his sword's hilt in time as the God-General slashed at his right arm with something. Thin air or otherwise, no one could tell, but the blonde swordsman hissed in pain, the force Sync used making him drop the papers he had and nearly downing him.

"Hand those over!" Sync demanded, spinning around quickly and ready to make another strike at Guy, who was clutching his wounded arm. Just as he was about to strike, Alex jumped in the way, sword unsheathed and blocking Sync's attacks.

"Get away from him!" the child demanded, using all of his strength to make the God-General lose his balance just long enough for Guy to gather up the data again.

"Alex, now's not the time!" Jade said forcefully, earning the child's attention. He signaled him to follow then started leading the group at a run towards the Kimlascan port.

"You're not getting away!" Sync yelled angrily, chasing after them quickly.

**oOo**

The group quickly dashed onto the ship, with Luke forcefully demanding the Kimlascan knights to get the ship moving. The noble himself barely managed to get on before the ship closed off and set sail. Sync arrived too late and cursed loud enough for them to hear him, and for good measure, Alex ran up to the edge, casting a quick Wind Blade attack that almost hit the green-haired God-General.

"Try and get us now, you big bully!" Alex called, childishly sticking his tongue out at the dock, yelping and ducking when one of Sync's own fonic artes collided with the metal of the hull.

"Alex, do please try not to get yourself killed," Jade sighed, ignoring the small glare he was getting from the child. "Well, shall we head in? I'd like to see and make sure we are all okay."

**oOoOoOo**

**B\R: I'm not sure what you meant about the Author's Note thing at the top of the chapter, so I just wanna tell you that. Great Job! You're really, really improving. Not much mistakes here. Keep Writing!**


	30. Trouble Magnets

Cao - (cowering in a corner in fetal position)

Alex - Maybe I overdid it. . .

But anyway! Here's the second update for today! Only because Cao felt bad about leaving you guys hanging last time. Please note, that from here on out, the chapters are going to diverge from the actual story plot. But as soon as we hit Akzeriuth, BAM! We're off the official story plot and we shall be using Cao's own imaginative brain. Which is. . .good and bad. . .

We're gonna put up a poll, too! SO check it out, because depending on your answers, we may or may not have a sequel.

Cao - (recovered) Yeah! And you'll get to meet my personal favourite character! XD

Alex - HEY!

Cao - (cough) Err. . .second-favourite?

Alex - . . .Nice save.

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine – Trouble Magnets**

"Dammit!" Guy cursed loudly, startling everyone in the room. "I lost part of the documents when Sync attacked!"

"Let me see them," Jade said, thanking the blonde as he took the documents in hand. He then walked over and sat by the table in the middle of the cabin, laying the papers out in front of him and reading them over. Everyone watched quietly, waiting for him to speak. "This is Lorelei's fonon frequency," he said finally, looking over a rather large number in the writing.

"Lorelei? Who's that?" Luke asked almost predictably.

"Lorelei's the aggregate sentience of the seventh fonon," Alex explained, sitting on the top of the two bunk beds in the room, next to Anise. "Scientists don't really know if it really exists or not."

"If enough of a fonon is in one area, the sentience can appear," Anise said, deciding to lean on Alex's shoulder, ignoring as the boy blushed faintly and stiffened. "Control that, and you can perform high-level fonic artes."

"The First fonon is Shadow, the Second is Gnome, Third is Sylph and so on," Guy finished off.

"How the hell do you guys know all this stuff?" the redhead inquired, looking around at the members of the group.

"Well. . .it's actually common knowledge. . ."

"This data, though. . .it contains some data from the isofon research project," Jade murmured, causing silence to ring through the air.

"Say. . .didn't that project involve fomicry or something?" Anise asked, breaking the silence.

"And couldn't fomicry create isofons?" Guy perked up.

"No. Replicas are identical copies, but they have their own fonon frequency. You can't create an isofon using fomicry," the Colonel answered.

"Is there any way to tell if someone is a replica or not?" Alex asked slowly, causing all eyes to turn on him. Jade narrowed his eyes slightly, but then resumed his neutral expression and looked away, closing his eyes and folding his arms across his chest.

"Replicas are created into the world like babies. They can't walk or talk. Unless someone teaches and trains them to act however they need to, you can easily tell. Other than that, you either need to know the replica beforehand or be able to point out the differences," the brunette finally provided.

Suddenly, a guard burst into the room, panting for breath. Alex and Anise jumped down to the ground, landing neatly on the ground and gathering around the guard with everyone.

"A large group of monsters. . .are attacking the ship. . .they're coming from. . .Chesedonia," the guard managed to say between breaths. His breath suddenly hitched and he gasped in pain, falling to the ground and revealing two Oracle Knights behind him, one of the pulling out the sword that had killed the Kimlascan guard.

"You've _got_ to be kidding!" Alex groaned, staying in the back with Jade and Tear to cast fonic artes while Guy and Luke held them off. Anise helped Ion hide so that he wouldn't get in the way, and remained by his side, since she couldn't pull out Tokunaga without the risk of squashing her teammates.

The battle didn't last long at all. After a couple swipes from both Guy and Luke and fonic artes from Jade, Alex and Tear, the Oracle Knights were down, and lay dead on the Kimlascan guard.

"So. . .how much do you guys want to bet they're trying to stop us from reaching Baticul?" Alex asked, kicking at one of the Oracle Knights.

"You don't think they'd try to sink the ship, do you?" Guy asked, somewhat panicky while he looked at Jade and Tear.

"Master! What are we going to do?! I can't swim!" Mieu exclaimed, popping out from Alex's cloak hood.

"You shut up and drown, that's what!" Luke snapped, resisting the urge to dive after the thing.

"Hey! Don't be mean to him!" Alex growled, picking up Mieu and cuddling him to his chest tightly. Then he carefully placed the cheagle in his item bag. "Just stay in there until it's all over, okay?"

"Okay!" came the high-pitched reply.

"If they've boarded the ship, I doubt they intend to sink it," the Necromancer provided.

"So we have to secure the bridge before they do, huh?"

"Correct."

"This would be too easy if they weren't trying to kill us," Alex sighed, rummaging through the Oracle Knights' item bags and pulling out a few gels from them and placed them in his own; not like they'd need them in the afterlife.

"This is such a pain!" Luke complained loudly. "Why do they want a war so badly, anyway?!"

"There's no time for complaints. Let's hurry before we lose our chance," Jade said, opening the door and ushering everyone to exit quickly.

**oOo**

"Where the heck is there leader so we can end this already?!" Luke demanded once they'd reached the front of the ship on the deck. They'd fought several Oracle knights along the way, and even gone as far as to defeat a fon machine that seemed to have a mind of its own. Jade seemed to know where it came from, but refused to share. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shrill laughter sounded through the air, causing all eyes to turn upwards, where a man was sitting in a floating chair, his hideous pink collar obvious to all who've known him.

"Silence, savages. For I, the most graceful member of the Six God-Generals, am here to stop you. Dist the—

"Why if it isn't Dist the Runny!" Jade exclaimed, mock pleasure on his face.

"Argh! It's Rose! R-O-S-E! Rose!" Dist snapped back furiously, banging his fists against his chair's arms.

"You mean Dist the Reaper," Anise remarked, earning a chuckle from Alex.

"_Silence_!"

"Ah, ah! Careful now! You know how your nose runs when you get mad," Jade said, smirking.

"It does _not_!" Dist shrieked.

"You know him, Anise?" Alex asked, looking curiously at the Fon Master guardian while trying to keep from laughing.

"Well, I'm in the Oracle knights, too, so, yeah," Anise said and shrugged. Then she looked back at Jade. "But why do _you_ know him, Colonel?"

"I, the genius Dist, once counted that duplicitous snake Jade as one of my friends," the God-General provided ducking quickly when a sudden blade of air shot out at him.

"Which Jade is that? I don't know any Jade with such poor taste in friends," the aforementioned Colonel said, shrugging.

"Why, you—"

Alex, who had had enough of simply listening, allowed a thin layer of third fonons to coat the bottom of his shoes and gently lift him into the air. He grinned when no one seemed to notice him, slowly allowing his body to float an inch or so before he carefully slipped higher into the air, above even Dist's view and unsheathed his sword carefully.

"Now, hand over the fon disc data!" the Reaper demanded roughly.

"You mean this?" Jade asked, holding up the paper. Immediately, Dist swooped down and snatched them, laughing ecstatically.

"Fool! You're no match for my superiority!"

"Oh, don't worry. I've already memorized the contents."

Silence echoed throughout the group, a few sweatdrops from one or two of the members of the group.

"Argh! I'm being mocked by _savages_!" Dist raged, banging his fists on his chair's arm again. "No matter! You're no match for my ultra-_gorgeous_ artes! I'll just—"

"Shut up?" Alex asked, suddenly appearing in front of Dist, slashing before the God-General had a clue and knocking him back with a burst of wind. Dist yelled, but the child only ignored him and, with a smirk, continued knocking him back, eventually knocking him so far off that he spun so far out that he lost control of his chair and ended up falling into the water. Proud, the child floated back to the ground and landed softly.

"Impressive. He didn't even see it coming," Guy complimented, clapping for a few seconds.

"I have a really violent servant," Luke said, disbelief written all over his face.

"Yeah, but you can't get rid of him."

"I can dream, can't I?"

"Tell a child to do something, and he or she shall do the exact opposite," Jade sighed, seemingly exasperated. "I'm going to check on the bridge and make sure everything is alright."

"I'll come with you," Guy spoke up as the Colonel started to walk off. "Ladies, take care of Luke and Ion, if you would."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of us, Guy," Anise said, a mischievous grin on her face as she snuck up behind him. The blonde practically jumped back.

"N-No! Of course not!" he stuttered before practically dashing off after Jade.

"I've been forgotten. Cool," Alex smirked, clasping his hands behind his head.

"So what do we do now?" Luke asked, glancing around the remainder of the group.

"We go and check and make sure no one was hurt," Tear said. Everyone agreed, and soon, they were all split up around the ship, off doing their own task.

"_He's grown so much in such a short time. . ."_

"_**The worst has yet to pass.**_"

"_I know._"

**oOo**

"Hello, Baticul!" Alex exclaimed, happily dashing off the ship onto the port, closely followed by Anise and a worried Guy while the others simply walked.

"Geez, why's he so happy? It's just Baticul," Luke said, looking around the area. "Although, it is kinda amazing. So this is what Baticul looks like, huh?"

"You don't know?" Tear asked, somewhat surprised.

"I was locked up inside the manor for as long as I can remember!"

"Master Luke!"

Alex yelped and instantly dashed behind Guy when a strange, deep voice spoke, startling the swordsman slightly. The child peeked out from behind and everyone came to a stop when they saw two Kimlascan guards, both wearing uniforms suited for those of higher status within the army. One was a man who was large, round and looked close to retirement with an almost-bald head and a grey mustache. The other was a younger woman, shorter than the man with her whitish-blonde hair tied in a bun.

"I am General Goldberg," the man said when Alex seemed calm enough to listen. "A carrier pigeon from Count Almandine said you would be coming with an emissary of peace from the Malkuth Empire."

"I am Ion, Fon Master of the Order of Lorelei," Ion spoke up, stepping forward. "I bear a letter of peace on behalf of his majesty, Emperor Peony the Ninth."

"Colonel Jade Curtiss, Third Division, Malkuth Imperial Army," Jade next said, stepping up to stand beside Ion. "I represent His Majesty."

"You're _the_ Jade Curtiss?" the woman exclaimed, looking thoroughly shocked.

"Ah. General Cecille. You taught me a painful lesson in our battle in northern Chesedonia," the Colonel acknowledged.

"You must be joking. My forces were virtually wiped out," the woman, Cecille, said, regaining her composure.

"General Cecille will be escorting you and Fon Master Ion to see King Ingobert the Sixth," Goldberg said towards Jade. "Malkuth must indeed be serious if they are sending you, the emperor's right-hand man."

"Tensions along the border are more serious than they were at the start of the Hod war. We have no choice but to be serious," Jade said gravely. Guy seemed to stiffen slightly, earning Alex's and Cecille's interest.

"Is something the matter?" Cecille asked, looking towards the blonde swordsman.

"N-No. Forgive me. I'm Guy, a servant of Luke's," he hastily replied, taking on an attentive pose.

"And the child behind you. . .?"

"Alex. He's also a servant of Luke's."

"Wait a minute," the mentioned noble cut in, looking towards Goldberg. "Ion asked me to take him to see my uncle."

"Very well. Then Cecille shall tell Duke Fabre of your return," Goldberg acknowledged with a nod. "However, he asked that he see the blue-haired child you have with you. Immediately."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Alex said, hastily getting out from behind Guy and standing in front of Goldberg. The grey-haired man ushered for the child and Cecille to follow, and soon, they took the air car towards the center of the city and were out of sight.

"Come on. Let's get going," Luke said, looking towards Guy, who relaxed and led the way to the air car, and they all boarded once one had come by.

**oOo**

Alex followed behind Goldberg and Cecille almost reluctantly, Mieu sitting on his shoulder having hopped out of his item bag a long time ago. The two adults. . .were stiff. He'd never actually met them, but he'd caught glimpses of the two around Baticul when he was doing errands for the Duke.

Still. . .

They were guarding him. They were guarding him as if he was some sort of noble and not some servant they had to escort. He was sure they knew how well he could fight, but that didn't seem to change the way the air was around them. Also, Alex noted with a slight tremble running through him, he was almost frightened to find out why the Duke had called for him. If it was a report, then he could have simply waited until Guy had come along. Or, if he was impatient, he could've called for Guy.

But no. . .there wasn't enough time for him to want a report. . .or maybe there was? After all, the carrier pigeon arrived before they did.

All-too soon, the three arrived at the Fabre manor, and the White Knight standing guard saluted them and stepped out of the way, allowing them to pass into the home. Predictably, they walked straight through the entrance hall to the door leading into the drawing room.

"Wait here," Goldberg instructed. He and Cecille then walked into the room, leaving Alex to stand there awkwardly, trying to ignore the White Knights that he knew were staring at him.

He was in trouble. He knew it. But what kind of trouble was he supposedly in? Sure, he expected Van to tell him about his attack on Luke. . .and true, that would've gotten him in MAJOR trouble. He could probably be put in prison, but hell if the man could find something out _that_ fast. Then, it struck him.

Carrier pigeon.

"That stupid, old, lying, two-timing—" Alex suddenly yelled, punching at the nearest pillar and startling the White Knights in the area. He resumed his onslaught on the pillar, using every own of willpower to keep himself from bringing out his sword or even use some fonic artes, growling things like "Stupid, moronic old man!" or "Why can't everyone see what he's up to?!" By the time he'd finished releasing his temper, his knuckles were quite red, bleeding a little bit, and the White Knights now clearly thought he was insane.

"Alex!"

The child yelped, quickly standing at attention with his hands behind his back and facing the door to the drawing room, for standing there was none-other-than Duke Fabre, a serious look on his face. The man arched one eyebrow for a brief second, though he immediately ushered for the boy to come in.

"I'd like a word with you, if you please," the red-haired man said curtly. Almost reluctantly, Alex stepped forward into the room, the door shutting behind him to prevent eavesdroppers.

**oOo**

Guy had led the way all the way up until they reached the higher levels, and from that point, Luke took it upon himself to direct the way to the castle, passing by his home. The White Knights and Kimlascan guards all looked pleased or relieved to see him, and while many tried to get him to go home, the young noble insisted that he still had something to take care of with his uncle, the King.

However, when they reached the audience chamber in the castle. . .

"His Majesty is currently speaking with Grand Maestro Mohs," one of the guards outside informed.

"We're going in there! We can't let Mohs brainwash Uncle!" Luke snapped, glaring furiously at the guard.

"P-Please, sir—"

"Shut up! I'm Luke fon Fabre. Get in my way, and I'll have them fire you!" At this, the guard seemed too worried about his job to try and stop the young noble, and the second guard had just plain fled a long time ago.

"Are you sure it's alright for us to just barge in like this?" Ion asked, seeming a little nervous.

"It's fine," Luke said simply before he pushed open the door and walking right in. Obviously, the adults were in some important conversation, for as soon as Luke and company were close enough to be heard, a short, round man with greenish-black hair wearing the uniform of a higher-up of the Order of Lorelei, who had been talking, stopped and turned to face them.

"Y-You!" he exclaimed. Then his eyes fell on Ion. "F-Fon Master Ion! We've been looking for you!"

"Mohs. We shall speak later," the green-haired boy said. Anise took a protective stance beside him, glaring daggers at Mohs.

"Ah! Luke! You've returned," Ingobert, who was sitting in one of the thrones, said, a small smile gracing his lips. Then he noticed the entourage he'd brought. "Fon Master! And—"

"It's nice to see you again, Your Excellency," Ion said, bowing his head for a brief moment. "I bear a letter of peace from Emperor Peony of Malkuth. And Colonel Curtiss of the Malkuth Army is here to represent him."

"It is an honor to be in your presence, sir," Jade said, kneeling on the ground with his head bowed.

"Uncle! Whatever Mohs has been saying is nonsense!" Luke spoke up, looking at the man while Anise walked up to the King and handed him the letter of peace. "I may not have been near the capital, but Engeve and Saint Binah were completely peaceful!"

"W-What?! I was merely expressing my concerns to--" Mohs began but was immediately cut off.

"Shut up! I don't even _know_ you, and I'm sick of you already!" Luke snapped with his arms folded across his chest as he glared at Mohs furiously.

"Luke, calm down," Ingobert sighed, though a he still had a relieved expression. "The letter has made it here, and I will not ignore it."

"We have prepared rooms in the castle for our emissary guests," a guard spoke up from beside the thrones. "We shall escort you to your rooms and this matter shall be discussed tomorrow."

"If I may, I'd love to see Luke's manor," Ion chirped, looking suddenly very excited.

"Yeah. And I want to know why Alex was called off by himself," Guy said, frowning a little.

"Probably because of what he did on the ship," Luke muttered under his breath.

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

"Susanne has fallen ill, Luke," Ingobert suddenly spoke up again, earning the attention of the young noble again. "Natalia is currently with her."

"Mother's sick?!"

"Yes. Go and see her now."

So it was decided by default that everyone would go to Luke's manor, and immediately upon arrival, the White Knight guarding the entrance greeted the redhead, stepping aside eagerly and allowing them to go in. As soon as they were inside, they saw Duke Fabre, Cecille and—

"Alex?!" Guy exclaimed, instantly dashing up to the younger boy and looking down on him, obviously worried. "What happened? Why were you called? Did you—"

"I can't answer two millions questions at once!" the blue-haired child interrupted, then glanced at Duke Fabre, who was giving him an unnoticeable glare. Alex lowered his gaze to the ground, his hair completely covering his eyes and hiding any emotion he may be showing. "I-I'm sorry. I have to go." And with that, the child brushed past his mentor and the group, exiting the building.

"It's good to see you home safe, son. I see you have the emissaries with you," Duke Fabre said after a moment of silence, looking back at his heir. Then he looked at the blonde servant next to him. "Thank you for your assistance, Guy."

"It was my honor, sir."

"Luke, where is Dorian General Grants?" inquired the Duke.

"Huh? We split up at Chesedonia, but he said he'd come by boat later," the young noble responded, giving him father a curious look. Cecille looked at the Duke, who nodded, and she immediately left the building as well. "W-What's going on?" Luke asked slowly.

"I'll tell you later," Duke Fabre said as he made to follow Cecille. However, he stopped beside Tear, not even looking at her. "You are Van's sister, are you not?"

"Yes, sir," the Oracle Knight answered, refusing to look up at him.

"You were the reason my son was spirited halfway across the world?"

"You have my deepest apologies," Tear said, facing the man and bowing her head.

"And you also attempted to assassinate Van? Or were you, in fact, conspiring with him?"

"Conspiring? I don't know what you mean."

Duke Fabre closed his eyes, and without another word, he also left the building, leaving the group to stand there in an awkward silence.

"That was. . .weird," Anise said slowly after a tense moment.

"His Grace was acting strangely," Guy remarked, narrowing his eyes and focusing his gaze on the ground; the Duke wasn't the only one who was acting strange.

"I should probably leave," Tear sighed, making to leave.

"Since you're here, you should probably apologize to the Lady as well," the blonde swordsman spoke up. "She probably fell ill because Luke went missing."

"Hm, I will."

**oOoOoOo**

**B\R: Damn, you write long chapters! Well, I am a fast reader(a certain writer mentioned in her A\N that I read over twenty chapters within 24 hours... And they were LONG!! Like, at least 17-20 Word pages each chapter. .) and I don't mind. Write more soon! (P.S. I hope you get your enthusiasm back!)**


	31. Why?

Cao - WOW! It's been, like. . .what, a month since I last updated?

Alex - Congratulations. You're a lazy writer.

Cao - HEY!

Alex - Regardless, we're sorry for the late update. We'll try to make it up somehow, maybe with longer chapters. However, this isn't one of those longer chapters. Sorry. It's short XD

Cao - ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE! I am continually beating ToW: RM AND, I have my internet access back on my computer. So, things'll be smother, hopefully.

Alex - Unless you flunk again next year.

Cao - FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I did not flunk. I passed 9th grade and am now a proud sophmore.

Alex - Just tell them where you live, why don't you. . .

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Thirty – Why?**

"Luke! You're alright!" Susanne cried, weakly sitting up in her bed as her son and his friends walked into her room. She coughed, though immediately dismissed it as she ushered for her son to come over. "Oh, I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Y-Yeah. I'm home, Mother," the redhead replied, walking over to her side. "How're you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine, now that you're back."

To everyone's surprise, Tear walked up to the bedside and knelt on the ground, hands clasped together and head bowed. "Madam, I beg your forgiveness. I had no intention of getting your son involved," the girl said, strands of her hair falling over her shoulder. "My thoughts were of only getting to my brother. I was a fool. I did not consider my surroundings."

"So my son's disappearance was not another kidnapping attempt?" Madam Fabre asked, looking down at Tear.

"By Lorelei and Yulia, I swear it was not."

The red-haired woman closed her eyes in thought for a moment, allowing everything to sink in. "Thank you. . .Tear, was it?" she said softly, opening her eyes and looking down at the tan-haired teen. "Thank you for returning my son safely home. And please. . .never again think of striking down your brother. I may not know what could have caused you to ever attempt such a thing, but family fighting family is entirely too sad."

It was after that that Madam Fabre said that she needed rest, and the group decided to leave her be so she could fully recover. Ion asked Guy and Luke for a tour around the manor, Anise and Jade agreeing to wanting something like that. However, Guy seemed too distracted by his thoughts to help his best friend with the tour.

At least. . .until a certain _someone_ called his name in the drawing room.

"Luke!" came a particularly authorative female voice. The blonde stiffened, instantly going rigid as everyone else stopped and turned to look behind them to find the owner of the voice. All they saw there was a young girl with short, strawberry-blonde hair, wearing a beautiful blue dress, arms folded across her chest as she looked at the noble in question.

"Hi. . .Natalia," Luke muttered, clearly not pleased to see her. The girl hardly seemed to care, walking up to the redhead with a frown etched no her face.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "I've been worried sick!" Next, she turned on Guy, who took an instinctive step back away from her. "And you! You were supposed to tell me of your assignment before you left!"

"I-I'm sorry! We had to leave right away!" Guy apologized quickly, yelping and dashing behind the nearest pillar when Natalia advanced on him.

"Why are you backing away?"

"You know why!"

"Luke and I are to be married soon," Natalia stated simply. "Get used to it."

"_I can't!"_

"Oof. I feel sorry for Alex if he has to deal with this," Anise muttered under her breath, earning a small laugh from Ion, and maybe even a small speck of amusement from Jade. Who knew?

"Oh, that's right!" Luke suddenly perked up, stepping up to Natalia so they were barely a foot and a half apart, revealing the truth of their height difference. "Natalia, what's going on? Why did father go to get Master Van?"

"My father didn't tell you?" the princess asked slowly.

"Why don't _you_ just tell me!"

The princess, though startled, seemed to gain a soft blush and smile on her face as she looked away from Luke. "Alright. You know I can't turn down a request from you." She took a deep breath before she continued. "They suspect Van of being a part of your disappearance."

"What?!"

"So that's why Duke Fabre meant when he asked if I was 'conspiring' with Van," Tear said softly. Natalia gave her a piercing look, which indirectly made the melodist stiffen slightly in posture.

"And who are you?" the princess asked. But she didn't even wait for an answer before turning on Luke with wide eyes. "Luke! Don't tell me you've taken advantage of one of your servant girls!"

"T-There's no way I'd touch a chick as cold as that!" the noble snapped back, glaring fiercely at the strawberry-blonde.

"Ion, the Commandant's in danger!" Anise whispered to the Fon Master, a look of rare panic on her face.

"I know. We must issue a request from Daath immediately," the green-haired boy agreed before the two slipped off out of the manor.

"Well, as entertaining as this is," Jade spoke up, pushing his glasses up his nose before looking down at the younger people, "I should probably check into the castle and rest myself. I do have important matters to discuss with His Highness, after all, and we old folk do need our energy."

"I should also report to Grand Maestro Mohs," Tear admitted.

And so, everyone left the drawing room, going their separate ways.

**oOo**

Guy sat there on his bed in the dark, leaning against the wall. It was probably past midnight. He'd have a hard time waking up, but he honestly didn't care. His room was missing one of its inhabitants, and he'd be damned if he'd just sleep without knowing he got home safe.

"What could he possibly be doing?" the blonde wondered silently, jumping when Pere moved in his bed. The old man only seemed to stir, so he paid no mind to it. "Maybe I should just rest. He'll come back in the morning."

So, Guy sighed and lay down his head on his pillow, about to pull the sheets over himself when he noticed a little slip of paper sticking out slightly from under his pillow. Naturally, he was curious enough to pick it out and unfold it, and from what he could tell, there was writing on it. However, he'd have a hard time reading it in the dark, though it certainly wasn't possible.

Guy –

By the time you get this, it'll already be way too late do to anything.

I was. . .I've been reassigned. . .to the castle. . .and I'm under Natalia's

command. She can do pretty much tell me to do anything she wants.

I'll probably see you again, when you come back to the castle every-so

often. So, until then, I guess.

- Alex.

PS. There's also. . .some things I did that made this happen.

They're –

**oOo**

Alex shivered as he lay down on the couch in the living room-portion of Natalia's chambers. New to the castle and he was already assigned the so-called 'honour' of guarding the princess from night-time assassins. The child yawned, stretching out a little before he sat up for a minute, glanced out of the window, and then lay back down with a heavy sigh.

"This is so boring," he muttered, sitting up and getting up from the couch. He stretched out a little bit then headed over to the door, making sure he had his sword still hanging on his waist and grabbing his cloak before he left the room all-together. No one would come at this time of night if they hadn't already. They'd have come in hours ago, when everyone had first fallen asleep.

The child simply walked down to the first level of the castle, listening to his footsteps against the cold stone floor as he headed through the front doors and out into the night air. It really was refreshing. Baticul was such a quiet city at night, though the slight humming of the few fon machines it had was a little. . .annoying. The nightly guards stationed at the castle doors had long since slumped on the ground and fallen asleep, a fact that Alex could easily say he was irked with. _No wonder I was reassigned_, he sighed. He glanced around the area, shivering and holding his cloak closer around him before he set off once more.

It wasn't until he got to the deserted first level that anything exciting happened. A sudden rise in the wind fonons caught him off guard, and he had a hard time keeping them from going through his fon slots.

"Found you!"

Alex looked up quickly and withdrew his blade just in time to block an aerial assault from above by none-other-than Asch the Bloody. The child grit his teeth, feeling himself pushed back slightly when the God General pushed back and jumped away some few feet.

"Wow. I never expected to find Asch the Bloody attack me in a place like this," Alex said, rolling his eyes. "You know, you should change your name to 'Asch the Predictable'."

"Shut it, brat. I've got something interesting you might want to hear," Asch growled, sheathing his blade and walking up to Alex once he'd done the same. "Van was here, right?"

"Yeah. But he was taken to the dungeons."

"Don't let him get near Luke."

"I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but I'm nothing but a simple servant-slash-guard," Alex said coolly, glaring at Asch.

"Then you're a complete idiot for not figuring out things for yourself."

"Hey!"

"Haven't you ever wondered why you were locked in the manor with that dreck, Luke?" Asch started. When the child had no answer, he smirked. "They wouldn't keep a simple servant locked up, I can tell you that."

"So. . .?" Alex started.

"'So' what?"

"Aren't you gonna tell me what you seem to know about me that I don't?"

Asch blinked, then – catching him totally off guard – he laughed, which sent several chills up Alex's spine. If he had something to hide behind, he probably would have by now. But the thing was. . .Asch wasn't laughing like a maniac. Granted, he looked like he'd just heard the funniest thing in the world, but. . .that was it, really.

_Who is he, really?_

"Sorry, kid, but I'm not gonna cave that easily," the God General said once he'd regained his composure. "All I can tell you is that you have a lot more power around here than a simple servant. Try and look up your history if you really want to know."

"Y-Yeah. . ."

Alex stared at the ground for a minute, grasping his hands behind his back tightly. "Hey. . .Asch?"

"What?"

"Um. . .why are. . .you helping me, anyway?"

"I'm not necessarily helping _you_," Asch replied, earning the child's attention. "I'm just telling you stuff that, if you're smart enough to tell to others, will help you. You heard what Van did on that ship to Chesedonia, right?" Alex nodded. "Make sure you stay with Luke if you're going to Akzeriuth. Knowing Natalia, though, you'll most likely end up going."

"Ah. . .but. . .my body can't handle the miasma!" Alex spoke up loudly. "What am I supposed to do if it starts affecting me again?"

"How should I know?!"

"For someone who's playing helper, you kind of stink at it," the child pointed out.

"Like you could do better," the redheaded God General growled, glaring at the child.

"I probably could!"

"Like hell you could!"

"You act awfully immature for a teenager."

Alex had his hands casually behind his head and he was looking off away from Asch, seemingly oblivious to the God General's glares of doom. Although. . .as Alex looked at him out of the corner of his eye, he thought he was looking at Luke for a moment.

"Hey, Asch?" the child asked slowly.

"Now what?"

"Um. . .what's your relationship. . .to Luke?"

An awkward silence filled the air, and though Asch lost his glare, it was replaced by his usual scowl. The air suddenly got very, very tense, and Alex felt like he'd asked a question that should never have been asked.

"It's nothing that concerns you. So don't ask again."

And then the God General left before Alex had the chance to ask anymore.

**oOo**

Luke had known Guy for a long, long time. Guy was like a father, brother, and best friend to him. The caretaker had helped him relearn everything he'd forgotten, after all! But never, in the seven years he'd remembered being with him, had the blond been so depressed, and all over something he refused to talk about. The redhead had tried his very best to force it out of him, but in the end, he'd had no choice to give up and hope that Guy felt better soon.

Once more, it was another dull day in the manor. The young noble was stuck sitting out in the courtyard, at one of the tables sitting outside of his personal room. He sighed, trying to think of several things he could possibly do to make this day more interesting for himself.

"Great. I have nothing to do again. Maybe I should have just stayed out of the manor," Luke complained, his eyes spotting a maid coming towards him. He sighed softly before he looked at her, despite the extremely bored expression on his face. "What is it?" he asked once she'd bowed.

"Your presence has been requested up at the castle," she informed pleasantly.

Now, the redhead was curious. "Does that mean I can leave the manor now?"

"Apparently so."

Grinning for the first time this morning, Luke stood up. "Alright, you're dismissed," he said as he grabbed his jacket from off his chair, putting it on before he walked past her and across the courtyard to the entrance hall. He was honestly all-too eager to leave the place.

**oOoOoOo**

**B/R: Great Work! And, to everyone reading... REVIEW!! Do what is right and REVIEW!! **


	32. To the End of the World and Back

Cao - HEEEEY! It's another chapter by yours truly!

Alex - Oh, dear god. . .

Cao - Hey, hey. Don't you think you're acting a little _too_ unhappy about that? -.-;;;

Alex - Not at all.

Cao - . . .Whatever. OH! And I'm a little sad to say that "Sound of the Wind" is almost over! Just a few more chapters, couple more events, then. . .DONE!

But fear not! There shall be at least three more books in the "Isofon" Quartet! Yes, it's gonna be a Quartet. I didn't make Sylph's Isofon for nuthin'! Oh, and I'm currently looking out there for possible candidates for Efreet's and Gnome's isofons ('cause none of my characters would work). If you have a character out there that you'd be willing to let me use, go ahead and send me a profile of him/her. Mandatory parts: Biography, Personality, Appearance, and whether or not he/she is a fonist.

I look forward to meeting these new characters! XD

Alex - Are we sure about that?

Cao - Just do the damned disclaimer. . .

Alex - Cao does not own Tales of the Abyss or Namco, but she owns me!  
Happy?

Cao - Very

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Thirty-One – To the End of the World and Back  
**

Luke sat impatiently outside of his room, waiting as the maids packed up his bag for his trip to Akzeriuth. He still didn't really see why _they_ had to do it. He was more than capable of packing his own bag! Finally, after the hour they'd been in there, one of the maids came out with a bag, and Luke all-too-eagerly snatched it from her and slung it over his shoulder. He didn't even thank her as she left.

Guy joined him at the front door, and together, the two friends left the manor and through Baticul to meet up with the others. Yet the air between them was not the usual friendly one. No, something had obviously irked Guy enough so that he wasn't talking to Luke anymore than he had to. And the redhead was sure he had a good idea why.

**oOo**

"_An emergency meeting was called last night to discuss Malkuth's proposal," Alpine, King Ingobert's advisor, said._

"_We've agreed to formalize a treaty with Malkuth," the King said. "However, their letter not only contained a proposal for peace, but also a request for aid."_

"_There's a mining city in Malkuth called Akzeriuth," Alpine continued, rubbing his chin for a mere moment before he continued, oblivious to the slight snickering the guards behind him gave off. "The miasma, a poison blight that seeps up fro__m__ Gnome's domain, has engulfed it, and currently blocks the Malkuth road to it, trapping the citizens."_

"_But Akzeriuth was originally our territory," Ingobert cut in. "With that in mind, they requested our aid to protect their citizens."_

"_Yeah, helping their people would be a nice gesture and all," Luke said, looking from Alpine to his uncle, "but what's that got to do with me?"_

"_His Majesty has assigned you the honor of becoming Kimlasca-Lanvaldear's goodwill ambassador," Duke Fabre said, earning his son's attention._

"_Me? No! I'm sick of fighting!"_

"_Natalia talked to me about Van," Ingobert sighed. And Luke's attention snapped to him. "We, too, are unsure of Van's guilt. So we have a proposal. If you will travel to Akzeriuth as a goodwill ambassador, we will release Van and have him aid you."_

"_Master Van's been arrested?!" Luke said outraged._

"_He's being held beneath the castle," Natalia, who was sitting beside Ingobert in her own throne, spoke up. Beside her stood Alex, who looked less than pleased to be where he was, and on top of his head was Mieu._

"_. . .Alright. If you'll let Master Van go. . ."_

"_You become a lot more cooperative when Van is involved," jade commented slyly, a look of amusement on his face._

"_Shut up. . ."_

"_There is a reason why you must be the one to fulfill this role," Ingobert cut in before anything more could unfold._

"_What. . .?"_

"_Look at this fonstone," Duke Fabre said, ushering a guard, who was holding a rather large piece of a glass-like rock, forward. "This is part of Yulia Jue's Fonstone, which fell into our nation's territory."_

"_Tear, read the Score that is written on the lower portion of this fonstone," the King instructed._

"_Yes, Your Majesty," the melodist said, bowing in respect before she walked over to the stone and placed her hand on the stone. "'ND2000. In Kimlasca shall be born a scion of Lorelei's power. He will be of royal blood with hair of red. He shall be called '__T__he __L__ight of the __S__acred __F__lame,' and he will lead Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to new prosperity. ND2018. The young scion of Lorelei will bring his people to the miner's city. There. . .' and the rest is missing."_

"_That's enough," Ingobert said, nodding towards Tear as she walked back to her place in front of the king. "In other words, Luke, _you_ are the chosen youth."_

"_It pained us to confine you, but people sought you for your power," Duke Fabre said gravely, looking away from Luke for a moment. Then he looked back at him. "But now it is time that you became a hero."_

"_A hero," Jade said softly under his breath._

"_Is something wrong, Colonel?" Alpine questioned._

"_Nothing. Who shall accompany him alongside me?"_

"_The Order of Lorelei wishes to send along Tear and Van," Grand Maestro Mohs, who had been standing beside Alpine, said in a tone that allowed no argument._

"_Luke, who would you like to take with you?" Duke Fabre asked. "You should take Guy with you as your personal attendant."_

"_I don't care, as long as Master Van's going," the young noble said carelessly._

"_Father, I really think that I should go along as an ambassador as well," Natalia said to her father._

"_I told you last night, that will not do!" Ingobert snapped back at her._

"_Sir, if I may?" Alex spoke up from beside Natalia, shrinking slightly when both of the royals turned their gaze on him. "If you allow her to go, I'll go along with her. And I promise that I won't let anything happen to her. If something did happen, then I swear on my life that I will accept any punishment that I get."_

_All eyes were turned on the young servant who, until recently, had always been thought of as quiet and reserved, if a little rowdy on occasion. Sure enough, and predicted by some in the room, Alex shrunk back behind Natalia's throne as soon as he realized everyone's eyes had turned on him._

"_B-But if you're truly serious about this, then I u-understand," the child finished quietly so that everyone had to strain their ears just to hear him. Silence filled the room as everyone waited with bated breaths,_

"_Alright," Ingobert finally sighed, and both Alex and Natalia looked at him, the latter slowly forming a happy smile on her face. "I'll allow it. However, should anything happen to my daughter. . .No, never mind. Just be sure to take care of her."_

"_Yes, sir!" Alex said, stepping out into the opening and saluting the King._

**oOo**

"Luke?"

The redheaded noble snapped out of his thoughts as soon as Guy snapped his fingers up in front of his face, blinking quickly before turning to face his friend, who was looking back at him with concern. "Are you okay? You're spaced out," the caretaker said.

"Y-Yeah. . ."

"You're stuttering," Guy pointed out.

"S-Shut up! I was just thinking about the mission we had to do!" Luke snapped, surprised when his friend chuckled lightly.

"Are you sure you're not just worried?"

"Why would I be? I'm the ambassador!"

"I guess you're right," the blonde said with a grin. As he looked to the castle, though, he slowed his pace down enough so that he was behind Luke, for already standing there were Jade, Natalia, Tear, Alex and Van. It was obvious who he was really afraid of.

"What are you wearing?" Luke asked as he noticed Natalia's outfit. It was nothing like she'd ever worn before. In fact. . .it almost reminded him of a character from a children's show. . .

"Well, I can't wear one of my dresses while traveling Auldrant," Natalia stated, folding her arms and looking seriously at the redhead, brows furrowed slightly. "Two enemy nations are about to come together in peace. This is no time for a princess to be sitting around! I intend to fight in battle!"

"Looks like our ambassador has finally graced us with his presence," Jade said, his lip looking like it was curling into a smile. He then coughed in a way one would to capture everyone's attention before he regained his military-like posture. "Sources indicate that the Order of Lorelei currently has ships out at sea just outside of Baticul port. It's likely an attempt by the Grand Maestro faction to stop us."

"Colonel, we don't know that," Tear objected.

"It's a fact." The Colonel simply adjusted his glasses slightly before he continued. "At any rate, going by sea is simply out of the question."

"But what are we going to do?" Alex asked, looking up at Jade. "If we aren't going by sea, what happens to the Oracle ships sailing about? Won't they know we're going by land if no ship goes out?"

"That's why we're going to send out a decoy ship," Natalia answered, placing a hand on the young boy's head. "And Commandant Grants has so graciously offered to board it, to make sure the Oracle ships fall for it."

"What? No way!" Luke immediately snapped.

"Luke," Van sighed, walking up to his pupil and looking down on him with serious eyes. Somehow, the noble's anger was instantly fizzled out. "Do you not have faith in my abilities?"

"N-No. . .t-that's not it. . ."

"Don't worry, then. I'll meet up with you in Chesedonia. Take care of yourself."

And the Dorian General walked off to the elevators.

"Mieu. . .he really did get upset, Master," Mieu said, magically appearing on top of Alex's head (for he had been previously hiding in the hood of the child's cloak).

"I think you owe me 10 Gald then," Alex grinned.

"You bet on me?!" Luke growled, instantly flaring up once again.

"Whoops. Make that 30 Gald. . ."

"I don't even have money, Master," Mieu said pitifully.

"I'll be off, then. Wait for me at the city's entrance," Jade stated, straightening up. With a quick nod of his head, he simply walked off to the elevators and was soon out of sight. Alex looked over the current group, scanning over Luke, Guy, Natalia and Tear; the three 'adults' left.

"The naggy brat, the woman-hater, the princess and the mother-figure. How interesting," the child commented, hopping off the stairs and landing neatly on the ground. "Shall we go, then?" he asked as he turned around and looked back at the foursome, seemingly oblivious to the threatening scowl he was getting from one redheaded noble.

"Yes, lets," Tear sighed as she walked up to Alex and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"That would probably be for the best," Natalia agreed, following the two as the melodist led the way to the elevators. Pretty soon, Guy and Luke followed. Well, after the latter of the two didn't look like he would throttle the kid.

**oOo**

"Alex!"

"A-Anise!"

The pink-clad guardian practically came running up to the boy, snagging him in a tight hug. "I missed you!" she said happily, grinning as she let him go then snagged his arm and stuck close to him. "But you're always off doing something."

"I. . .err. . .s-sorry," Alex said sheepishly, doing his best not to seem uncomfortable. Then the boy looked around the area, as though searching for something. "Where's Ion?"

"When I went to his room this morning, his bed was empty! I thought maybe he'd have been with you guys or the Colonel," Anise answered, looking at Alex.

"Then we have a problem." Jade suddenly appeared up at the top of the stairs from the elevator, earning everyone's attention. "Because he's certainly not with me, though I do remember hearing some citizens reporting that they'd seen the Fon Master with a group of circus people." This information, at once, alerted everyone of the group except for Natalia.

"Don't tell me. . ." Guy started.

". . .the Dark wings," Tear finished, confirming everyone's thoughts.

"The Dark Wings?" the Kimlascan princess questioned, earning looks from everyone.

"They're a group of pathetic bandits," Luke said, folding his arms and not looking the least bit pleased.

"A group of pathetic bandits who stole your wallet," Alex added in cheekily, earning a glare from the redheaded noble.

"I saw them talking with some of the Oracle Knights when I was wandering around here, though," Anise said, finally letting go of her blue-haired crush (to his relief) and straightening her posture.

"Then it's safe to assume that Ion has been captured," Jade finally sighed, adjusting his glasses. "I suppose we have no choice but to head out of Baticul and hope we can find him by land."

"Wait! I heard that the God-Generals are waiting outside of the city!"

"So if we go outside, we risk getting spotted," Tear spoke sternly, eyes narrowing.

"There's an old factory near here. If we go through it, we should be able to escape the city," Guy explained, earning the attention of the group. "That way we can search for Ion on foot, right?"

"Then off we go!" Alex announced, grinning happily before he ran off with Mieu on his shoulder. Close behind was Anise, and then finally, the older members of the group. Luke muttered something about the child being 'too happy' while he and Tear simply followed them at a slower pace.

"Ah, how good it must feel to be young," Jade drawled, sighing dramatically despite having a minor amused smile on his face. "It's a shame we old folk don't have as much endurance as we used to."

"T-There's no way you can be serious," Guy muttered nervously as he watched the Colonel follow the group.

**oOo**

_I'm kind of glad that Van isn't with us. . .but at the same time. . ._

Alex yelped as he tripped over something, landing flat on his face on the cool metal. Guy and Anise were the first two to come to his aid, but predictably the blond recoiled and simply let the girl help the blue-haired boy. "Thanks," he muttered, rubbing his nose in some attempt to ebb away the pain.

"What's got you spaced out, anyway?" Anise asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"I-It's nothing!"

Right away, Alex knew that Guy and Luke knew he was lying. They'd been together for too long, after all. And though the redhead would be too stubborn to admit it, he knew a lot of things about the blue-haired boy.

_. . .at the same time, something's not right. . ._

They were in the abandoned factory. To be more exact, they'd all been wandering through and activating the old air cars and elevators while using Mieu as a lighter (it was amazing how the little cheagle never got tired). The blue cheagle, who had been resting on Anise's head, hopped over onto Alex's then onto his shoulder.

"Master, are you alright?" he asked, genuine concern in his beady little eyes.

"I'm fine. Just sore now. . ."

"That's why you have to look where you're going," Natalia sighed, stepped up to Alex and looking down at her bodyguard. "Honestly. If you're supposed to protect me, at least learn to protect yourself."

"S-Sorry," Alex apologized quickly.

"But more importantly. . ." Natalia cringed, a look of disgust quickly finding itself on her face before she covered her nose and mouth with her gloved hand, straightening up and looking around the area. ". . .what is that _disgusting_ smell?"

"This _is_ a factory," Guy stated, shrugging before he focused on the scent. "No. . .it's too strong. . ."

"There's definitely something here. . .a monster, perhaps?" Jade speculated, adjusting his glasses. Everything was scanning the area now, though Tear seemed to be focused on something on the ceiling. The melodist's eyes narrowed.

"Natalia, watch out!" she said suddenly, quickly dashing up to the Princess and pulling her back. Alex also jumped back, and just in time; a hideous excuse for a creature suddenly jumped down, four legs obvious in its grotesque structure. It looked more like a mud monster, though, than anything. And apart from the oily smell and bizarre oil around its body, it probably could have been, for all they knew.

"Natalia, stay back and assist if you have to," Jade ordered at once, materializing his spear in his hand as he got ready for the battle.

"Understood," the Princess nodded, taking on a defensive stance.

"Tear and Alex, assist with fonic artes!"

"Yes, sir!" Alex said, applying a thin layer of wind fonons to his feet so that he hovered over the ground a little bit. Tear nodded in understanding as she and the blue-haired child immediately set to work.

"Luke, Guy and Anise, make sure we can cast," the Colonel finished, and all three close-range fighters nodded and set to work immediately.

None of the group realized that overhead was a cloaked figure, standing on one of the higher pipes that overlooked the entire group. All that was obvious of the figure was that the body shape was that of a young teenage boy, and the cloak was a pitch-black, making it perfectly easy for him to hide in the dark. The figure smirked, golden cat-like eyes appearing to glow as they pierced the darkness and observed the battle.

**oOoOoOo**

B\R: Awesome chapter! Great to see you writing again! XD


	33. Finally Revealed

Cao - CHECK IT OUT! It hasn't even been a month! XD  
Okay, now for some confessions. I personally missed the trip to the Zao Ruins, only because, well. . .I hated that trip. The only important thing about it is the fact that Mieu gets a power. And the thing with Ion could have TOTALLY been avoided if Luke wasn't such a freaking BAKA!

Alex - Cao, calm down. . .

Cao - Yessir. . .  
Anyway. YAY! it's Chapter 32! This first book/story/fanfiction shall end, well. . .when I say it will end. I've already got plans for the next story, and I've even got a title for it. Eh. . .I just can't remember it right not. . .  
Also:

_**PYROMANIACS!!**_

I got so many applications for an Efreet/Ifreet scion and only, like, one for Gnome's scion and then a single character that was for whatever I chose! oO  
I've chosen someone for Efreet's/Ifreet's scion but I'm leaving applications for Gnome's scion open. And you know. . .at first, I was going to have it where Fire, Earth and Water met. .. but now I'm scootching our lovely Undine scion (whom you shall not know the name of yet) to the third part of this epic tale.

Hmm. . .what else? Oh! Look out for a oneshot that's gonna be based on this fanciful story. 'Cause, well. . .I'm bored. And I want to shed some light on how Alex was when he first arrived in the manor.

AND SO! WITHOUT FURTHER ADO! I PRESENT TO YOU--

Alex - _-wearing a policeman's outfit and cleverly hidden-_ FREEZE! This is the police! Put your hands up where I can see them!

Cao - OHEMGEE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! DX _-flees like the wind-_

Alex - _-reveals himself-_ Hee hee. Cao doesn't own ToA. Enjoy the chapter and expect the next one equally as soon! 3

**oOo**

**Chapter Thirty-Two – Finally Revealed  
**

"_Divine Saber!_" Alex and Jade shouted in unison. Both attacks struck dead on to the spider-like creature they were fighting, ultimately killing and disintegrating it. But not before anyone had managed to get a good look at it.

"Looks like we're done," Guy sighed with relief as he and Luke re-sheathed their swords, staring at the place the "mud-monster's" corpse had previously been. Anise let Tokunaga shrink back to its regular size and put the plushie on her back again, Natalia and Tear both resumed a calmer pose, and Alex lightly landed on the ground. "Still. . .what _was_ that?"

"The inside looked like a spider," Anise spoke up, immediately latching on to Alex when the blue-haired child was within her reach. "It was so scary!"

"I-I guess," Alex stuttered, taken by surprise.

"I've heard of an abandoned factory having a few spiders," Tear began, frowning slightly, "but. . ."

"Perhaps the oil it was feeding on caused a mutation," Jade speculated, adjusting his glasses again as his spear dematerialized. "At any rate, it looks like we've stumbled upon an emergency exit."

"Guy, you and Alex go down first," Natalia ordered suddenly, turning on the two servants. "Catch me if I fall."

"You're saying that knowing full well that we can't, right?" the blond swordsman asked, rubbing the back of his neck while Alex just looked like he'd been given an impossible task.

"Honestly! What kind of servant makes up excuses?!"

"I-It's not an excuse!"

"Luke can call off that silly engagement anytime he wants, you know," Anise sneered, glaring up at Natalia while the Princess glared right back.

"Let's just leave this smelly place. It's starting to burn my nose," Luke stated, covering his nose and mouth with one hand. He then brushed past the two fighting girls and climbed down the ladder effortlessly, landing on the muddy ground down below. It was raining, and somewhat predictably, the noble was immediately drenched. No one heard what he was complaining about, though, as they had all effectively tuned him out.

Outside, it was raining heavily, which was a bit of a surprise to the group. One by one, everyone climbed down the ladder and into the muddy ground, with Mieu riding in Alex's hood the entire time so that he wouldn't end up sinking in it.

"Geez. This mud is too soft," Alex complained as he once more utilized the Third Fonon enough so that he could float while also pulling his hood over his head and accidentally making Mieu have to move onto his shoulder, though the cheagle was still covered. He caught Anise sinking in it, though, and quickly went over to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her up over the mud.

"Thanks, Alex. Hey!" The pink-clad girl suddenly pointed in a direction ahead of them. "Isn't that. . .Ion?!"

All eyes turned at once to where she was pointing. Directly in front of them was the captured Tartarus, and an army of Oracle Soldiers were standing outside. Some were running around, some were chatting. But the three figures that stood out the most were Fon Master Ion, a redheaded God-General, and Sync the Tempest. Ion was being guarded by two of the Oracle Soldiers and Sync and the red-haired God-General – who had their back to them – were obviously in some sort of conversation.

_It's Asch!_ Alex realized, eyes widening. He almost let go of Anise, though he quickly made sure to keep her grip on her and take her over to solid ground. As soon as he let her go, he glanced at Luke, noticing something strange about the redheaded noble. He was holding the hilt of his sword.

_He can't be--!_

"Luke! Stop!" Alex called out, but it was too late; the noble had already broken into a run towards the God-Generals.

"Hand over Ion _now_!" Luke yelled, freeing his blade just before he managed to strike. Asch had been expecting this, as he had freed his own weapon and used it to effortlessly block the young noble. He locked the blade in place and both had a fierce look on their faces.

That is, until they got a good look at each other.

Luke's eyes widened in shock as he realized that the person in front of him looked _exactly_ like him.

Asch's eyes momentarily widened before a scowl was on his face in an instant, teeth gritted and hate burning in his eyes.

"_It's you!"_

The red-haired God-General pushed back roughly on the red-haired noble, pushing off balance. Both stumbled slightly before they regained their balance, looking at each other. Still, Luke had that expression of shock. And still, Asch had that look of hate in his eyes.

"Asch, Ion takes priority right now!" Sync cut in before anything serious could happen.

"I know!" Asch turned to walk away from back to the Tartarus, though he glanced back at Luke long enough to scowl and say, "Aren't you the ladies' man?"

Alex bit down on his tongue to prevent himself from yelling out like the rest; he already knew what was going on, and he didn't like it. Guy had gotten worked up and was currently running over towards the two redheads while Tear, Natalia, and Anise were all standing there in a sort of shell-shocked stage. However, as the child took a glance at Jade, he noticed something odd.

The Colonel hadn't even flinched.

"Alex," the Malkuthian suddenly said in a tone loud enough only for the child to hear. "How fast can you normally run?"

"Err. . .well, I'm faster than Guy," the blue-haired boy replied, looking up at the man now curiously.

"Alright. I want you to use any sort of method you have and recapture Ion. You have ten seconds to do this."

Alex blinked, wondering just what the Colonel was up to for a moment before he simply grinned with confidence, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword and pulling it out of its sheathe. "That's eight more than I'll need."

"I assume you know where to meet us?"

"'Course!"

The child quickly set off, dashing through the group and all the way up to the Oracle Soldiers keeping Ion captive and striking out at the both of them. He was too fast for them to even draw out their blades and successfully knocked them out of the way and unconscious. At once, the rest of the Oracle Soldiers spotted the action and charged, as did Asch and Sync.

"What the hell are you doing, you brat?!" Asch demanded fiercely, attempting to get in between Alex and Ion. But the blue-haired child simply jumped up into the air, floating there for a moment as he looked him over.

"I'm doing what should be done," Alex replied, sticking his tongue out childishly before he was forced to quickly dodge an attack from Sync. He glared at the green-haired God-General before swooping down and grabbing Ion's hand, pulling the Fon Master up into the air with him.

"Ah! You can fly?" Ion asked in amazement, looking up at his savior.

"Yup! Neat, huh?"

Alex grinned as he looked down at the Fon Master, who eventually returned with a modest smile. The blue-haired child then glanced down at the ground at Luke, his excitement quickly turning to seriousness.

"Don't trust Van Grants," he called out, narrowing his eyes before he tightened his grip on Ion, and after making sure that he wouldn't drop him anytime soon, he flew off with the green-haired Fon Master.

Everyone on the ground stared in amazement until the pair vanished; all except for Colonel Jade Curtiss, who was wearing a rather pleased smirk. The rain finally stopped and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds just the slightest.

"After them!" Sync suddenly ordered fiercely, turning on the Oracle Soldiers that practically scrambled. "Fon Master Ion _cannot_ get away from us!" The masked God-General turned and faced Asch, and if his mask had been off, it was obvious that he would have been scowling angrily. "Asch, come on! We have to go!"

"Alright! I'm going," the redhead God-General snapped back as he finally turned and followed his companion and the other Oracle Soldiers into the Tartarus. Soon, the massive landship was up and moving, heading in the direction Alex had gone off to with Ion.

Guy, Tear, Natalia, Anise and Jade all came up to Luke, who was still in a little bit of a shock. He was looking at the ground, eyes wide as he tried to piece together what had happened.

"H-He looked like me," he whispered softly, almost oblivious to what had just happened. _What's going on?_

"Ah, how wonderful it is to be young again," Jade remarked casually in his usual joking tone. "Alex looked like he had a lot of energy, especially with how easily he won that round. And the Tartarus is following them, heading in the direction of the Oasis."

"Wasn't that where we were going?" Tear questioned curiously.

"Yes. It was. So, shall we?"

"I can't believe you sent Alex off to get Ion on his own!" Guy suddenly yelled, marching right up to Jade and glaring into his eyes. "He's a child and he's being chased by the God-Generals! What're you going to do if they catch him?!"

"They won't catch him."

"How do you know?!

"With all due respect, Colonel, I have to agree," Tear said as she stepped up to Jade, ultimately managing to scare Guy away from him – part of her plan. The melodist tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, and then folded her arms calmly across her chest. "Why are you so sure they Alex won't be caught?"

"Because. . ." Jade pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose again, glancing around the current group. ". . .he isn't an ordinary boy. If you really want answers, though, perhaps you should ask these three?" he suggested, waving a hand towards Luke, Guy, and Natalia; the latter two of which stiffened.

"Why ask me? I don't know anything about the kid," the red-haired noble said defensively, choosing to forget about Asch for now. "All I know is that the day he came to the manor was a couple days after I did. And I don't remember much from then."

"I only know what you've undoubtedly learned already," Natalia also said, and so, all eyes turned on Guy, who backed up a step as though to avoid the attention.

"Well, Guy? Care to explain?" Jade asked casually, though he was most definitely not asking; it was a demand.

"Ah. . .w-well. . .where to start. . ."

**oOo**

Ion stared in amazement as the two of them flew over the desert. Where ever Alex was taking him, it was just amazing how he was able to do this! And on his own, too.

"I-I'm not too heavy, am I?" the Fon Master asked cautiously, looking up at the blue-haired child.

"This is the first time I've done this," Alex admitted, nearly losing altitude but managing to pull them up higher instead, "but you're not heavy at all. I'm not tired at all!"

That was a completely and blatant lie, and had Guy been around, he was quite sure that his guardian would have smacked him over the head for it. The longer he flew, the heavier Ion seemed to get. And using this ability over all took a lot out of him anyway; depending on the length he used it. That was why he normally only used it for short distances, like climbing up a tree or dodging the White Knights back at the manor. He'd never had to fly half way across the desert in the blazing sun.

"If you don't mind me asking, Alex. . .do you know why you can control the Third Fonon so readily?"

"Mm. . .actually, no, I don't. I've tried asking before, but no one ever gave me an answer I could understand."

"I see. . ."

Ion stared at the ground now, obviously in some type of deep thought. _So he doesn't know_, he thought sadly. He almost pitied the child. It would be bad if he found out in the wrong way. But the Fon Master wasn't sure at all if _he_ should be the one to break the news to him.

"Do you know your family name?" he inquired, looking up at the boy again.

"Mm. . .I only know it was the 'Kinjo' family, and that's it," Alex answered with a slight sigh, which was a mistake; he'd almost dropped Ion, and now his heart was pounding because of the avoided consequences. Then the child looked up at where he was going, breaking into a smile. "There it is! The Oasis!"

Sure enough, out in the distance and closing in quickly was the Desert Oasis planted in the center of the area.

**oOo**

Guy constantly felt a chill crawling up his spine as the group walked, knowing full well that everyone was staring at him. They'd decided on making their way to the "meeting point" Jade had apparently set up with Alex already. They didn't want to lose ground, after all.

"Alex has been in the manor for roughly seven years," he began after a while longer, closing his eyes and thanking Yulia that he wasn't in the front, or else this would have been unbearably uncomfortable. "When he first came, the guards were chasing him because he'd apparently stolen something from the market. At first we thought he was nothing but a simple thief, but then. . ." Guy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, stopping in his tracks.

"He was wearing that cloak of his?" Jade questioned, and the blond swordsman nodded.

"Exactly. I knew exactly where he'd come from as soon as I saw that symbol."

"I don't get it," Luke said. "What's so special about that symbol?"

"It's the crest for the Kinjo family."

"Kinjo. . .?"

"A family of Third Fonists," Tear explained, and the redhead looked at her. "They were famous for it. In fact, it was even rumored that at some point during the Dawn Age, there was a man who was Sylph's exact isofon. Right down to the fonon frequency."

"They were a great family. One of the only ones that acted as a median between Kimlasca and Malkuth, even though they were from Malkuth," Guy continued, earning the spotlight once more.

"Why do you keep saying 'were'?" Luke asked curiously. "Did something happen?" His guardian then gained a sad look in his eyes, and a sort of tension fell over the group.

"The entire Kinjo family was murdered," Jade answered solemnly.

**oOo**

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ion asked as he dusted himself off, then glanced down at Alex, who was currently laying in the sand and panting heavily.

"I'm. . .fine. . .just. . .tired. . ."

The blue-haired child rolled over onto his front and pushed himself up onto his feet, knowing that he'd have to eventually. But he stumbled slightly, nearly losing his balance on his feet. Luckily, the Fon Master caught him and supported him as much as his frail body could.

"You pushed yourself, didn't you?" Ion asked, sadness obvious in his tone.

"Maybe. . .a little," Alex admitted, grinning. "Let's go find somewhere to hide. The God-Generals were following us. We don't need them finding out where we are. . ."

"Yes. You're right. . ."

**oOo**

"Murdered?" Luke questioned, a wave of guilt washing over him all of a sudden.

"Yes. Murdered," Jade repeated seriously, crimson eyes looking dead ahead. "It happened ten years ago. There was a family reunion at their estate near Chesedonia. No one knows what happened. Witnesses always repeated the same things, saying that first there was an explosion in the Northern tower. Naturally, being a family of Third Fonists, I doubt any of them could have done anything about it. Supposedly, the fire started in the kitchen."

"But why do you say they were murdered?"

"The fire had been going on for a while," Guy said, placing his hands in his pockets and sighing slightly. "But there wasn't a single scream or person coming out of the place."

"Oh. . ."

"You certainly seem to know a lot about it, Guy," Natalia remarked, looking curiously at the man.

"I picked up a few things from the guards."

"But why bring that business up?" Anise questioned, poking Guy and sending him dashing behind Jade for cover. "What does that have to do with Alex?"

"He might be the only living member left," Jade answered casually. "And if so, then he's in far more danger than he realizes. If word gets out about his identity, no doubt his family's killers will try to come after him. And if that doesn't happen, then Malkuth will try to claim him and maybe use him for war, being who he is."

"There's something else?" Now it was Tear's turn to question, after being quiet for so long. The Colonel smirked, even sparking Guy's interest.

"You haven't noticed? The way he can control the Third Fonon by sheer will? And his abilities in spells of that element far surpass even mine."

**oOo**

"Thank you!" Alex said cheerfully, bowing slightly to a merchant after purchasing some much-needed supplies. The child walked a little ways back to Ion, who was currently resting in the shade at the back of the largest building in the small area. He pulled out an orange gel from his bag, popping it into his mouth and swallowing it.

"You seem to like the gels a lot," the Fon Master commented, scooting off to the side a little so his companion could sit with him.

"Yeah. They're really good! Except for the lemon gel, which is too sour for its own good," Alex admitted, shuddering as he remembered the first one he'd ever tried. It had helped a lot at the time, but still. . .

"I'm sure many people would agree with you on that."

"Probably."

The blue-haired child reached into his bag again, pulling out two apples and handing one over to Ion. The Fon Master thanked him and then the two ate in silence, enjoying the refreshing taste that the fruit gave them for a while.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Alex eventually asked.

"Well. . .have you heard about the Kinjo family?" Ion asked hesitantly.

"Yup. That's _my_ family!"

The Fon Master was slightly startled at the boy admitting it so openly. Yet when he looked at him more carefully, he could notice the slight sadness starting to reveal itself in his companion's eyes. _He's not very good at hiding his emotions,_ he noted, taking a small bite from his apple and swallowing it before he spoke again. "How long have you been able to control the Third Fonon so easily?"

"For as long as I can remember," the servant child replied.

"I see." The green-haired boy closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought. "Alex, what would you say if. . .I told you that you were Sylph's scion?"

"It depends on what you mean by that. . ."

"Well. A scion is like. . .a descendant."

"So, I'd be a descendant of the sentience of the Third Fonon?"

"Yes. That's basically what it means."

Silence filled the space between the two of them, with Alex looking confused and Ion looking serious.

**oOo**

"What do you mean Sylph's scion?" Guy questioned, frowning as he looked at Jade. "There's no way you could prove that."

Now, the group was standing in the middle of the desert, seemingly oblivious to the heat. They were about half-way, now, to the Oasis. But this issue seemed to be keeping them all entertained.

"I'm afraid I have to disagree. I've got a blood sample in my pocket and I had the time to get it examined while we were in Baticul," the Colonel replied casually, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

_How did he even _get_ a blood sample?_ Everyone thought in unison.

Jade reached in his pocket, and sure enough, he held up a small vial with a blood sample. Also in his hand was a folded-up piece of paper, which he took and unfolded. "More specifically, I was looking at the fonon frequency. It is identical to that of Sylph."

"Any doctor can fake results," Luke shot at Jade. "Maybe they're pulling your leg?"

"I must agree. Colonel Curtiss, how are you sure that these results are valid?" Natalia asked more politely.

"I was standing behind them the entire time they were working. And also. . ." Jade smirked, adjusting his glasses and making the lenses glare slightly, making it impossible to see the look in his crimson eyes without going blind.

"How else could you explain those peculiar 'attacks' on him by the Third Fonon?"

**oOoOoOo**

Cao - I feel like I should apologize. . .I totally made this OC-centric. . .  
IT SHALL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!

Now review, or else Alex gets doused in a cauldron of scalding hot oil XD

Alex - _-struggles to get free while hovering over the cauldron on a single piece of rope-_ DO IT! DO IT! PLEASE!

Cao - Hee hee. Well, you heard the man.  
Ah. And there's no BR section this time. Boooo. . .


	34. Mr Spoiled Brat Strikes Again

Cao - Well! This is. . .err. . .a chapter full of shtuff! XD

Alex - . . .

Cao - AND! Mr. Dense-Head here gets to finally learn that he's Sylph's scion. . .doesn't mean he believes it, but. . .eh XD

Alex - . . .

Cao - (pokes Alex) What are you doing?

Alex - Hoping that if I stay quiet, nothing bad will happen. . .

Cao - . . .I see oO  
Anyway, this chapter was not edited by my beta-reader. . .it was edited by MEEEEEEEEEEE! XD -shot-  
Oi, oi. . .I'm not that bad. Anyway, soyeah. Forgive any errors you see in there and whatnot!

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Thirty-Three – Mr. Spoiled Brat Strikes Again  
**

"_Alex, what would you say if. . .I told you that you were Sylph's scion?"_

"Sylph's scion. . .huh?" Alex said after a while, staring at his half-eaten apple. He really. . .didn't know _what_ to say. It could be true. . .or Ion could be pulling his leg. Finally, the child looked at the Fon Master, smiling. "I'd say you're crazy. There's no way I could be a scion."

"But there _is_ a way to prove it," Ion insisted, reaching into a pocket of his robe and pulling out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and held it up for Alex to see, revealing that it was a copy of another and also the numerous bits of information on it, such as the frequencies of Sylph and Alex. "Jade took a sample of your blood to a doctor and they found your fonon frequency. Then they matched it to Sylph's, and they were identical!" The Fon Master paused when he saw Alex cough, having recently choked on a piece of his apple.

"W-When did that crazy Colonel get a sample of my blood?!" the child asked, checking his body until he found a conveniently placed band aid on his upper right arm.

"I thought you knew. . ."

"As if I would even give it up. . ."

"But," Ion continued, placing the paper on the ground and flattening it out. His finger skipped down to the two frequencies on the bottom of the page, both labeled to who they belonged to and one over the other. He pointed to the upper one. "this is your fonon frequency. And the one below it is Sylph's."

"They're identical," Alex said in awe, abandoning his apple and looking at the paper now with interest.

"Exactly. Alex, whether you believe it or not, you _are_ Sylph's scion."

The blue-haired servant boy looked away from the Fon Master, ignorant to his apple as it rolled in the sand and became inedible. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and looked up. When Ion was about to question, he quickly put a finger to his mouth, ushering for silence. The two sat there for a moment as the footsteps turned into multiple ones. Alex stood up slowly from the ground, putting his hand around the hilt of his blade and drawing it out, stepping in front of Ion and gaining a defensive stance.

"Mieu! Master, what's wrong?" Mieu asked, popping out of Alex's hood and climbing on top of his head.

They all stayed quiet, and after a minute, even Ion was standing. The footsteps drew closer and closer and the blue-haired servant just couldn't pinpoint which way they were coming from. So when he was looking to the right and felt a hand on his shoulder from the left, it was no surprise when he cried out and used his weapon to try and cut that hand off, ultimately knocking Mieu off of his head and over to Ion. His eyes were squeezed shut and his body shook before he hesitantly opened one eye, then the other as he realized his sword was currently pointing right at Luke fon Fabre's throat. Behind him were Jade Curtiss, Guy Cecil, Tear Grants, Anise Tatlin, and Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear.

"Oh! It looks like our young scion here is keeping his guard up," Jade remarked, a sly grin on his face that showed obvious amusement. Luke, for one, hardly looked comfortable, currently trembling and staying as still as possible as though he were actually expecting to get hurt right now.

"You're late!" Alex snapped, glaring at Jade.

"Well, we would have been here _earlier_, but a certain member of our group just _had_ to explain something to all of us."

"This is a lovely chat that's starting up here and all," Luke started slowly, looking down at Alex now and earning the kid's attention, "but is there any chance you could maybe – oh, I don't know – _get your sword away from me_?"

"Ah. . .sorry," the servant child said, laughing a little as he took his sword away and re-sheathed it in its hilt on his back. Then he realized something that Jade had said. . ."Hey, Colonel. . .did you just call me a scion?"

"Why, yes. I did," the brunette responded, adjusting his glasses.

Alex marched right up to Jade, glaring up at the old man and only receiving an amused look in response. Then the child closed his eyes, hands curled into fists as he hung his head down towards the ground, body shaking. "Don't go taking blood samples of people without their permission!" he suddenly yelled out, kicking the Colonel in his right shin.

"I knew he would do that," Guy remarked quietly to himself, though Tear and Natalia both heard him perfectly well and nodded in agreement with him.

After everyone had calmed down and reunited (Anise went over to Ion and asked at least a hundred questions on whether he was alright or not, then went over and practically squished Alex in a hug), they set off at once, though not before Tear, Guy and Alex all managed to reassure Luke that he wouldn't end up threatened again ("He pointed his sword _at my neck_! That's the _last time_ I lead the way to _him_!" the redheaded noble snapped firmly). For the journey to Chesedonia, they stayed apart. Anise and Alex seemed to have enough energy to start up a game of tag around the group, and even Ion ended up getting involved after a while when Anise decided to deem him as 'It'. The Fon Master Guardian and blue-haired child definitely made it easier for the Fon Master to catch them, of course, since they didn't want him passing out from overexerting himself.

The sun quickly fell in the sky, so by the time they arrived in the town of Chesedonia, it was already much too late to get a ship to Kaitzur as planned. Jade seemed annoyed by this fact, seeming as if he wanted get to Akzeriuth as quickly as possible.

"We have no choice," the man eventually said. "We should head to the Inn and rest for the night."

"Agreed! I'm beat," Alex said, stumbling over for the millionth time before he just simply decided on floating. He caught a glance of Luke at the back of the group out of the corner of his eye, noticing that the redhead was currently holding his head with some type of pained expression. The child halted his movement for a moment until he was at an even pace with him. "Luke? You okay?"

Luke nodded, though instead of dismissing it, he put his other hand on his head and grabbed fistfuls of his hair with both hands, his pain seeming to get worse as he let out a small cry of pain. The group ahead stopped in their tracks, Guy instantly turning around when he saw what was going on.

"Luke! Is it another one of those headaches?!" he asked, quickly going over to the redhead's side.

"Headaches?" Tear asked curiously.

"He's been getting them for the last seven years. To be more exact, since he got back from his kidnapping," Alex offered up. Though he was a little confused; every time Luke had gotten a headache, _he_ himself ended up with a mass of Wind Fonons going crazy around him. . .

'_Hey, dreck!'_

"Who the. . .hell are. . .you?!" Luke demanded, startling everyone.

'_You know who I am. You look just like me!'_

"Asch. . .!"

Luke tried to take a step forward, though he merely ended up stumbling and his knees buckled, causing him to go down onto them and tremble as his pain continued.

'_So, got yourself a little trump card? How cute.'_

"What're you. . .?!"

'_Let's see. . .how about you turn your sword on that ex-servant of yours?'_

Tear and Natalia tried to approach Luke, though the noble suddenly got up to his feet and faced Alex, drawing his sword out and pointing it at the child.

"What the hell, Luke! We're done with that game!" Alex shouted, glaring angrily at the noble as he put a hand on his own sword's hilt.

"I-It's not me!" the redhead insisted, and now that everyone looked more closely into it, not only was Luke grimacing but he was also shaking incredibly.

'_Very good. . .'_

Suddenly, everything stopped. The pain Luke felt, the shaking, the obvious want the redhead had to control his own body's movements. . .it all vanished. Then, suddenly, without warning, Luke dropped his sword and collapsed on the ground.

Everyone stood still. Alex slowly took his hand away from his sword, staring at the downed noble.

"Well! This was certainly interesting," Jade remarked, breaking the icy silence somewhat easily. "Let's get our ambassador to the Inn, shall we? After all, we certainly can't leave our leader out here in the cold to die."

No one responded to that, all either too confused or too worried about what just happened. Guy simply stepped forward and picked Luke up off of the ground, slinging one of the redhead's arms around his neck and leading the way to the Inn in silence.

**oOo**

"_**Hmm. . .this is a problem. . .**__"_

"_A problem? Lorelei, this reached a problem as soon as the one who will seize glory created a replica of your scion!__"_

"_**I did not think it would escalate to this level. . .**__"_

"_How Yulia – rest her soul – ever put up with you, I shan't ever know.__"_

"_**Never the less! We are running out of **_**time**_**!**__"_

"_I have already contacted Efreet and Gnome, though neither seems to want to cooperate. They doubt my word, the stubborn fools. . .__"_

"_**We must act quickly, or else--!**__"_

"_Relax. I shall contact my scion once more and get him to understand. He already knows of what is to come.__"_

"_**Alright. I trust you, Sylph.**__"_

**oOo**

"What's going on?" Natalia asked, sitting on a chair at Luke's bedside. "This has never happened before."

"Are you _sure_ you felt _nothing_, Alex?" Guy questioned, kneeling down in front of the blue-haired boy.

"Y-Yeah. . .nothing. . ."

"Is Luke sick?" Tear asked worriedly, looking down at the sleeping redhead. "Should we call a doctor?"

"We've already tried that when he was younger," the Kimlascan princess replied, closing her eyes for a moment and putting her hands in her lap. "No doctor could ever figure out what was wrong. It seemed he was perfectly fine, apart from the headaches he gets."

"You say this is the first time something like this has happened?" Jade questioned, looking at the princess and guardian.

"Well. . .yeah," Guy answered.

"Interesting. . ."

"He's waking up!" Mieu announced in his high-pitched voice, earning attention to himself.

Sure enough, the redhead's hand made a small movement, his emerald eyes opening and scanning the room quickly, falling from Natalia to Guy to Alex to Jade to Tear, and then finally resting on the blue cheagle sitting by his head. Then the redhead suddenly shot up in bed, only now realizing that he was even _in_ one. "W-Where am I?" he asked, looking around at the others again.

"The Inn," Alex answered cheerfully, getting away from Guy and going over to the bedside. "You feeling better?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine," Luke mumbled, avoiding looking at the young servant, who quickly gained a confused look.

"Does it still feel like something's controlling you?" Jade inquired.

"N-No. I'm fine now. . .

"I see. . ."

"Colonel, do you know something?" Anise asked, looking at the brunette curiously.

"I'd rather not say."

"Jade! Stop teasing us!" Guy snapped, instantly getting to his feet.

"I'm not teasing anyone," the Colonel answered calmly while Alex quickly went over to calm his guardian figure. "I just think that Luke should be the first one to know about matters that concern him. However, since it is late, and we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow, we should rest. I intend to get us to Akzeriuth by tomorrow, or early the next day at the most."

"What are we going to do with Ion, though?" Alex asked curiously, though he instantly recoiled when Natalia shot him a rather harsh look. "I-I mean. . .the Fon Master," he corrected quickly, staring at the ground.

"I don't mind if you use my name," Ion assured, a friendly smile on his face as he looked at the servant. It seemed like he hadn't noticed the princess's look at all, though it had faded almost as soon as he spoke. "And if you wouldn't mind, could you take me with you?"

"Ion, it's too dangerous!" Anise protested at once.

"Emperor Peony entrusted me with this mission. I'd like to see it through."

"It's not for us to decide. It's our Ambassador's decision! Well?" Jade asked, looking directly at Luke as his lips curled into a smirk. "What will you do?"

"Do whatever you like," the redhead replied, rubbing an eye irritably; he was still exhausted.

"Thank you!" Ion said, beaming now.

"It's such a good thing that I took the liberty to buy some rooms for ourselves," Jade remarked. "The young ladies get a room of their own just beside this one. We men get one all to ourselves, forced to share a room with our wonderful Ambassador. Oh, don't worry, we'll protect him along with the Fon Master. I'm sure Alex is more than capable of that."

"We'll protect Natalia," Anise said, seeing the blue-haired boy's expression. "So you just relax for the night!"

"But--!"

The girls, however, left before the boy could protest. Alex sighed in defeat while Guy walked over to his side and placed a comforting hand on the young boy's head.

""Don't worry too much. Now get some rest, alright?"

**oOo**

Morning had come far too quickly for the members of the group. Alex was even still sleeping, though Guy had insisted that no one waking up while looking somewhat frantic. Luke was out of it as ever when he first woke up, obviously struggling to stay awake himself.

However, by the time everyone was ready to go out and move, they were running quite late. Jade had actually seemed rather annoyed by that, as he often kept pushing their pace faster and faster. Right now, it was midday, and having taken an extremely early ship to Kaitzur (about 5:30 AM), they had spent a good four hours there. Now they were currently just half way through Deo Pass. Luke was, typically, on yet another one of his rampages.

"The kid hasn't even woken up! Why couldn't we just leave him at Kaitzur? Or better yet, Chesedonia!" Luke complained. Guy was currently carrying Alex on his back, though he wasn't sure how much longer he could ignore the noble. "He's slowing us down. Master Van will have gotten to Akzeriuth before us!"

"Hey, you remember the last time you woke him up? You nearly had your hand sliced off," Guy pointed out, and that immediately got the redhead off of his case.

"Ion, are you okay?" Anise asked, seeing as the Fon Master was currently starting to lag behind.

"I'm. . .fine," the green-haired boy assured, panting slightly. That is, until he almost collapsed, and had his Fon Master Guardian not acted quickly and caught him, he surely would have hurt himself.

"You're not fine at all!" Anise said with a worried look plastered on her face. "That's it. We're taking a break!"

"No!"

All eyes turned on Luke, who was currently glaring at everyone. "We keep going. We're almost there! We'll just be wasting time if we stay here," he said firmly. He then turned to keep leading the way forward. Anise looked shocked, hurt. . .and even disgusted a little bit.

"Are. . .are you _stupid_?!" the Fon Master Guardian called out, getting to her feet instantly. This got the redheaded noble to spin around and face her again.

"_Stupid?!_ Even without Ion, we can still stop the war as long as I'm around!" Luke shot back, obviously angered.

"That isn't even right! Use your head a little, _you stupid ambassador_!"

"What did you say?!"

"Luke," Tear spoke up calmly. "I, too, thought that was a conceited way to phrase it. If Fon Master Ion didn't give it his all as a mediator, none of us would be here today."

"Don't you have any shame for yourself as part of the royal family?" Natalia walked right up to Luke, standing tall as she looked at him. "Both Father and the Emperor of Malkuth show a great deal of respect for the Fon Master. Isn't that why we have this peaceful time?"

"What the hell. . .why is everyone blaming me?!" Luke demanded forcefully as everyone looked at him. "I'm the ambassador, dammit!"

"Shut up!"

Guy practically jumped out of his skin, shaking his head once before glancing at the stirring person on his back; Alex was awake, rubbing his eyes sleepily. The blond quickly knelt on the ground and let the child get down, watching as Alex stumbled over to Luke and looked up at the noble. Yet there was something. . ._odd_. Guy was so focused on that something odd that he didn't even notice when Mieu hopped up onto his shoulders.

"You're the heir to the Kimlascan throne, not the king of the world," the servant said, allowing his arm to drop by his side and glare now. Luke stepped back, though, upon seeing the child's eyes turn a glazed emerald green. "Get over your ego!"

Silence rang throughout the group.

Alex's eyes regained their golden, tired look, the servant boy rubbing his eyes and swaying slightly. He nearly fell backwards, but somehow, he managed to stay upright. He turned around and wandered back to the others, clinging to the first person he could for support; Tear. The Locrian Colonel seemed startled, slightly, quickly having to put an arm around the boy's chest so that he wouldn't fall and hurt himself.

"We can hardly continue forward with two members of our group unable to go further," Jade stated, adjusting his glasses. "Let's set up camp and rest for a while, until we can all stay steady on our feet."

And everyone walked away, leaving the noble behind.

"What's with everyone?" Luke demanded quietly of himself, hands curled into fists. "I'm the ambassador, dammit! They can't just brush me off like someone unimportant!"

**oOo**

Unsurprisingly, the group fell asleep that night. But Jade had them waking up early the next morning. By around midday, they had reached the exit of Deo Pass. Luke had been in the back of the group the whole time, for a rift of sorts had formed between him and the members of the group; he wasn't about to apologize, thinking that _he_ was right, of course.

"Hey, hey. . .we're almost there!" Alex exclaimed, running ahead of the group as soon as he saw the exit of the mountain range.

"Alex, don't go too far ahead," Guy called out, though it was useless as the child kept going; such a troublesome kid.

"He's rather energetic now," Tear commented, smiling faintly. _And he's so cute, too._

"Y-Yeah. . .well, he has this weird habit. Sometimes, on certain days, he'll be totally exhausted, and sometimes it's impossible to wake him up. On others, he'll be totally energetic! And you can't even catch him, what with how fast he is."

"Is he really that fast?"

"One day, the White Knights were chasing Alex just outside of the castle," Natalia said, closing her eyes and putting a weak fist up under her chin. "He was about six at the time, and only the White Knights were getting exhausted. Normally, it should be no problem to capture a child. But they underestimated him, and by the time Alex was finally caught, half of the force had been dispatched."

"Oh, my," Tear said softly, glancing at Alex ahead of them now.

"That's not the half of it. He gave me as much of a hard time as Luke did when it came to baths," Guy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It took an hour just to catch him, and another hour to wash him."

"I see it!" Alex called out, earning the group's attention. He was a good five yards from them, currently floating a foot off the ground and waving at them. "I see Akzeriuth from here!"

"You do?" Anise dashed up to Alex, coming to a stop beside him and looking at the scene. The two children stared out at the distance, looking at the crater that was currently enveloped in a purple mist. "T-That's. . ."

"The miasma," Jade finished as the older members of the group came up behind them.

"Master. . .what's that purple stuff?" Mieu asked, popping out of Alex's hood and crawling onto his head.

"That's. . .a bad mist," Alex said, picking the cheagle up and cuddling him in his arms. "The bad mist that's killing everyone."

Luke stared, wide-eyed, at the back of the group. He'd thought this was a simple thing at first, but. . .but that was before he knew what the miasma actually was!

_Just what are we supposed to do?!_

**oOoOoOo**

Cao - -legasp- IT'S CHAPTER 33s END! DX

Alex - (continually hits a red button) Work, dammit!

Cao - Ha ha. Once more, forgive me for any errors. I did this without the consent of my beta-reader XD -impatient-

Alex - (still hits a big red button) Why won't you work?!

Cao - Please review if you want Alex to escape the clutches of his latest death trap! Which is. . .-snickers- Next chapter.  
TOODLES! -skips off to write Chapter 34-

Alex - (starts slamming the button) STUPID ESCAPE POD! WHY WON'T YOU WORK!


	35. Akzeriuth's Fall

Cao - Heart. . .ripped. . .soul. . .vanished. . .(cries)

Alex - I hate you. . .

Cao - (sniffling) There'll be a second update again. No, this hasn't been beta'd. I wanted to keep such a climactic point saved until it got published. Which. . .is now. (bursts into tears) DAMN YOU, VAN GRANTS!

Alex - . . .Cao does not own Namco or Tales of the Abyss in any way, shape, or form. But she does own me. . .

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Thirty-Four – Akzeriuth's Fall**

The group entered the mining city of Akzeriuth, into the purple mist of death known as the miasma.

Everywhere, people were sick and dying. Some animals even lay huddled on the ground off to the side, whimpering in pain. Some people were still able to move, limping tiredly.

The miasma was _death_.

"All these people," Anise said softly, a look of pure horror on her face. Luke was glancing around hesitantly, unusually quiet for once. Natalia quickly found a man lying on the ground in front of them, breaking away from the group and quickly kneeling by his side to check on him.

"Natalia, get away from him. He's all dirty; you'll catch something," Luke called out at once, swiftly earning himself a dirty look from the group. Natalia just looked appalled.

"What's dirty?" she asked. "What am I going to catch?" Silence. "Don't be stupid!" The Princess quickly turned her attention to the man, making sure that he was alright.

"M-Master!"

Everyone quickly looked to the back of the group, finding the little cheagle hopping around Alex who was currently kneeling on the ground and trying to breathe, by the looks of it.

"M-Master! Hang in there!" the cheagle cried, eventually resting at the boy's knees and putting his tiny paws on them.

"It seems he inhaled more of the miasma at the Fubras River than we'd thought," Jade remarked, going over to the child. "It's only a matter of time before the miasma starts to affect us as well."

"What are we going to do with Alex? We can't just leave him alone," Guy pointed out as the Colonel picked the child up in his arms.

"I'm. . .fine," the child said, squirming a little to get out of Jade's grasp. "Just put me down!"

"You shouldn't push yourself," Jade said, making the blue-haired boy realize who was currently holding him.

"I'm not pushing anything! Now put me down, you pervert!"

"As you wish," Jade sighed, simply letting go of Alex. The child yelped as he nearly hit the ground, though he was thankfully able to catch himself.

"Gently! I meant gently!"

"Well, you never said _that_."

A miner came by to the entrance, watching them curiously before he finally came up to them. "Did you all come from the Kimlascan side?" he asked, looking more directly at Luke.

"Uh. . ."

Natalia decided to intervene, going up to the miner. "I'm Natalia, princess of Kimlasca. We're here at the behest of Emperor Peony."

"Oh. Well, that's good," the miner said. "My name's Pyrope. The mayor of this town fell ill, so I'm taking charge right now. A man named Grants said you would be coming."

"Where are Dorian General Grants and the rescue team right now?" Jade inquired.

"They're currently trying to rescue some of our comrades that collapsed in the mines. When you're ready, I can take you to Tunnel 14."

"We should first figure out the status of the situation," Tear said, folding her arms. "Once we do that, we should discuss what to do from there."

"I'm going to check out the status of the mines with Anise. We'll meet you guys at the tunnel," Alex said. Anise took off ahead of him while he put a layer of wind fonons at his feet. He glanced back at Luke, who was staring down further into the crater, for a moment before following after the Fon Master Guardian.

"Come on. Let's go and check out the situation," Guy suggested, patting Luke on the shoulders. That was the only thing that snapped the noble out of his thoughts and got him to move.

**oOo**

Alex and Anise wandered, sticking close together as they looked around. Everywhere. . .everywhere, there was someone sick and dying. There was even the occasional dirty bag with a disturbingly similar shape to a human. It even occurred to them that those might actually be _bodies_.

And yet, even still, they saw some people going about their daily lives. Some of the kids were even playing a game of jump rope; the boys and girls together. There was one boy in particular that they looked at, for he was the most unusual. His hair was a striking blond, his eyes gold. He wore a dirty white shirt and a brown jacket, as well as a pair of faded black trousers and black shoes. On his face was a small band aid, obviously over some sort of injury. He couldn't have been older than nine. He was grinning while he jumped, but then the rope caught on his foot and he tripped, yelping and falling over.

"Ha ha! You're out!"

"No fair! You cheated!" the boy protested, instantly on his feet and glaring at one of the boys holding the rope; one of white hair and crimson eyes, wearing a look like he was superior or something. His t-shirt was black and so were his pants, and he also had a couple bracelets around his wrist and a choker necklace. He was obviously older.

"You're just clumsy!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

The boys had a glaring contest for a moment, the other kids, Alex, and Anise falling silent. Then the two boys grinned, suddenly taking off in a random direction at top speed; it looked like a race.

"It looks like some people don't care at all," Anise remarked, watching the boys with interest.

"Isn't that good? It means not everyone is freaking out," Alex said, smiling as he looked back at Anise.

"True. Now, more importantly. . ." The pink-clad girl took a hold of Alex's arm then yanked him roughly down. The boy yelped, not at all expecting it and ending up crashing into the ground. "Don't float around as if it's nothing. People are going to stare, and the next thing you know, they're going to realize who you are!"

"I got it, I got it! But geez, that hurt!"

"Honestly. You just might be almost as stupid as Luke!"

"Hey!"

A scream suddenly snapped the two of them out of it, their attentions quickly turning to where it had come from. The blond boy was hanging by the cliff edge, some twenty feet above a crack with miasma oozing out of it. The boy was desperate, and all the other children were much too afraid to move! No. . .more like they were surrounded by the miasma; a crack had opened up!

"Come on!" Anise said, and she and Alex quickly ran over to the scene. Anise took Tokunaga and enlarged the doll, hopping onto its head while Alex, despite the previous scolding, quickly allowed the wind fonons to take over him and give him the power of flight. The boy zipped over to the blond boy, snagging him by his wrists and lifting him up into the air.

"I got you!" Alex grunted, lifting the boy up carefully; he was a little heavy, compared to Ion. Why? Ion was older and bigger! Oh, who cared right now! The blue-haired boy spotted Anise hopping over the miasma gas to the kids. After setting the blond boy on the ground safely, Alex moved in to help, and together with the Fon Master Guardian, the two managed to rescue the children.

The adults all around froze in place, glancing at them all. Even the children were staring at their saviors. One, because Anise had a giant doll, and two because the other could fly! Anise realized this, quickly yanking Alex back to the ground, but this time, the boy was prepared for it and managed to land on his feet, however ungracefully.

"You saved us!" the blond boy said, breaking the silence and walking up to Alex and Anise. He took the blunette's hands in his hand, smiling at him happily. "Thank you so much!"

"A-Ah. . .it was nothing," Alex replied shyly.

"Are you kidding? I wouldda been dead meat if you hadn't come!" the boy exclaimed cheerfully. "Hey, why don't we play together for a little while?"

"I-I'm not sure I can. . ."

"Aaaw. Why not? I'm Shin, by the way!"

"I'm Alex. And, um. . .well, we're kind of here on an assignment."

"To help save this town?"

"Y-Yeah!"

The adults, however, were whispering various things.

"Did that boy just fly?"

"I saw it! He was flying!"

"What does this mean? No one can do that!"

"Look at his cloak. . .I know that crest!"

Anise took charge of the situation, quickly grabbing Alex by the back of his cloak and pulling him away from the blond boy along with her after shrinking Tokunaga. "Alright, nothing to see here! Move along, move along! Just prepare for evacuation!" she announced. Shin blinked, somewhat stunned before he lifted an arm and waved vigorously, beaming again.

"Hey! I'll wait for you to come back, 'kay?"

Alex blinked as well then returned the smile and the wave.

"Okay!"

**oOo**

Most of the group gathered in the 'Inn', where peopled rested. They were at a table, quietly discussing their plans.

"It looks like the miasma isn't as bad at the Fubras River as it is here," Guy stated, having recently gone to the top of the crater and looked at the surrounding area.

"And from what we gathered," Anise added in, "the miasma is at its worst in the tunnels."

"I propose an evacuation," Alex said, smiling. . .despite having to sit on a couple books so he could reach the chair. And he was right next to Tear, who was using every ounce of willpower not to scream out 'How cute!'. "I mean, the longer the citizens stay here, the more chance there is of everyone getting sick and dying."

"And as I stated before, the longer we stay here, the more likely it is that we'll be affected ourselves," Jade finished up. Then he glanced to the blue-haired boy. "Isn't that right?"

"Why are you looking at me, you creep. . ."

"Well, I was merely using you as an example. You're paler than usual and you seem to get more exhausted at a quicker pace."

"Shut up. I'm fine," Alex snapped, half sinking in his chair. Yet now that the Colonel had pointed it out, everyone noticed; he was definitely pale and tired-looking.

**oOo**

The only one not inside the Inn was Luke, who was currently outside glancing around the area impatiently, as though searching for something, or someone. "Master Van. . .where _are_ you?" he whispered in annoyance, glancing back at the door leading into the Inn.

To where the others were.

While they were sitting in there, talking about some evacuation plan, everyone was going down the drain! If he didn't find Master Van soon, everything would be ruined, and he'd be trapped in the manor for the rest of his life!

I'm not waiting anymore," he said finally, kicking at the dirt then glaring up at the sky with determination. "I'm going to be hero!"

And he left.

But, little did he know, a certain green-haired Fon Master had just recently come back from talking with current mayor.

**oOo**

"Hey. . .has anyone seen either the Fon Master or Luke?" Natalia questioned, just now examining the room. She even stood up from her chair to get a better look over their heads.

"Now that you mention it. . .I haven't seen Ion in a while," Anise said slowly, also getting up from her chair.

"Maybe they went ahead?" Tear suggested?

"Lovely. Our dear ambassador seems to love putting holes in our plans," Jade sighed in mild frustration, putting his thumb and pointer finger on each side of the bridge of his nose. "Alright. Then we'll mix things up a bit. Natalia, Anise, and Alex—"

"I want to help find Luke," the blue-haired boy stated flatly, and so firmly that it startled everyone, except Jade. The Colonel looked at the child for a moment, letting his hand rest on the table.

"Alright. Then Natalia, Anise, and myself shall go ahead and organize the evacuation. Guy, Alex, and Tear, I want the three of you to go ahead and track down our wonderful ambassador. If he's entered Tunnel 14, then so be it; follow him in there and bring him back dead if you must."

"Jade!" shouted everyone at once.

"What? I was only joking. . ."

"Let's just get going," Alex sighed, his gut clenching into a tight knot; something bad was going to happen.

He just knew it.

**oOo**

_Something isn't right_, Ion kept thinking over and over. _Something isn't right at all._ For one thing, the redhead had decided to march off on his own accord to Tunnel 14, not even bothering to thank Pyrope as he passed the poor stressed-out man. True, the Fon Master couldn't do much since Luke hadn't even _noticed him_, yet. . .but still.

About half-way through the tunnel, Ion decided to call attention to himself. "Luke!"

The redhead jumped and spun around in an instant, eyes wide before narrowing back to their calm state when he realized who it was.

"Oh, it's you."

How rude. . .

"Luke, what are you doing here all by yourself?" Ion asked cautiously, approaching the redhead; he was glad he stopped. He'd started to get tired, what with the miasma and the endless walking. "Where are the others? Are they coming?"

"They're coming in a minute."

Was that really true?

Suddenly, Luke winced, a hand immediately going to his head as he hunched over slightly, a look of clear pain on his face.

'_What the hell do you think you're doing, you moron?! Turn back before you get us all killed!'_

"Asch. . .?!" the redhead grunted, oblivious to Ion's voice now. "Just. . .just shut up!"

And before the Fon Master even knew what had happened, Luke seemed to recover, turn around, and keep walking on through the tunnel again.

**oOo**

"What do you _mean_ you let him go in there alone?!"

"H-H-He t-t-told me you all w-were coming not f-f-f-far b-b-behind!"

"He's the Kimlascan heir to the throne and you _let him go in a miasma-infested tunnel all alone?!"_

Alex currently had the front of Pyrope's shirt in his small hands, floating above the ground so that he was towering over the miner, who was currently whimpering and shaking like a leaf. The child. . .was obviously not happy, and Pyrope had a good reason to fear for his life. More than once, Alex had let slip a little bit of his control on the third fonons, several of which banded together in little attacks that smacked into the wall or a house. . .though no serious damage was caused.

"H-H-H-He w-w-wasn't alone! H-H-H-He was w-w-w-with the F-F-F-Fon Master!"

"Alex, you're scaring the man with your adorable terror," Jade remarked, smirking as the child looked ready to murder the poor man.

"Shut up, Colonel!" the child snapped, before being forcefully pulled away from Pyrope by Guy, who effortlessly managed to hold him in against him despite the kicking and relentless struggling while the miner seemed to flee the scene while he had the chance.

"Alex, if you're so upset by it, why don't we follow after Luke?" Anise suggested, which somewhat helped in settling the boy down. "Geez, why are you so on edge, anyway? Maybe he decided to grow a heart and try to help the trapped miners himself."

_No. . .that's not it. . .that's not it at all!_

Guy let Alex get to his feet, and instantly regretted this action at once. The child bolted, much, much faster than any of them would ever have been able to manage at their best, even though the blond did try to go after him.

"I-I'll meet you guys inside!"

And the blue-haired boy was gone.

"I don't understand," Natalia said softly, somewhat astonished by the sudden action. "There's something he isn't telling us."

"If we have any chance of finding out, we should—" Tear began, but was then cut off by a somewhat loud 'Lorcrian Colonel Grants!' Everyone turned to find an Oracle Knight running up to them, stopping, and saluting when in the direct view of Tear.

"I was just sent to inform you that the Seventh Fonstone may have been just found!" he said, somewhat breathless.

"The Seventh Fonstone?" Tear repeated, eyes widened slightly; was this for real?

"Yes. But we need you to confirm its discovery."

The melodist bit her lip; part of her wanted to find out why Luke would have gone in alone with Ion and why Alex was so worried about it, but part of her was duty-bound and wanted to finish this mission. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up to see Jade.

"Go. We'll have everything under control," he informed, and with a nod of her head, Tear decided to go with the Oracle Knight and prayed to Yulia that this was the right choice.

**oOo**

Luke and Ion walked for a while in silence. The former received no further headaches, and the Fon Master was still watching the redhead quite closely; something was up. He just knew it. But what? It wasn't like Luke at all to simply walk on in a dangerous place all on his own. So why was he doing this now?

Suddenly, they both stopped, and it took a moment for Ion to realize why. They'd entered a rather large room and the miners were all on the floor lying there, coughing and moaning in pain. Their ragged breathing was enough to send chills up the spine of even the toughest man in all of Auldrant. Ion, at once, ran over to one of them, quickly checking that he was breathing. And he was. But there was no one just the two of them could get them out of here! Where were the others? When were they coming?!

And yet. . .when Ion looked up, Luke had simply walked passed all of them.

This really got to Ion; the redhead may be a selfish, spoiled brat, but he wasn't someone to just leave dying people be! So why would he even think of doing that now?!

"Master Van!"

Of course. . .

Ion looked up quickly, scanning the area until he found Luke with, indeed, the Commandant. Something wasn't right at all. Slowly, the Fon Master got up and followed the two as they walked down a hidden passageway, sticking to the back and watching them closely. They were talking, about who-knew-what. Something about becoming a hero?

Just what had Van planted into this boy's mind?

"Fon Master."

Said person jumped, realizing only now that they'd stopped in front of a door. But not just any door; a sealed door. There were no handles, but the thing itself looked to be blocked by some type of stained glass. Ion looked towards Van, who was looking at him.

"Fon Master, if you would, open this up?"

Ion walked up to the door, examining it for a moment before looking up at Van. "This is a Daathic Seal. I don't think undoing it will help us with our cause," he informed.

"If you would, Fon Master. Open it. I have an answer to this whole thing but I need to get inside," Van said calmly. And yet. . .Ion swore he felt a hint of a command in it. He knew the man was picking his words carefully.

"Alright. . ."

Ion turned back to the door and held up his hands and concentrated, carefully undoing the seal. By the time it was done, he let his arms drop to his side, staggering lightly until he managed to regain his footing. Even if he was a little bit dizzy, he should be fine.

"Thank you, Fon Master," Van said politely, bowing his head. Then he looked to Luke. "Luke, let's get going."

"Okay."

And the two went off down the passage, leaving Ion standing there for just a moment longer.

_Something. . .isn't right!_

And Ion still followed them, curious as to what they could possibly do.

**oOo**

Alex dashed through the tunnels, his body aching and protesting his movements; he'd probably inhaled more miasma than any of them, and with his weak immune system, he was rather surprised he hadn't died yet! But he didn't care. He didn't care _at all_.

"Master, what's wrong?" Mieu asked, popping out of the hood of Alex's cloak. "Why are you so scared?"

But Alex only ignored him. He'd put two and two together. He'd figured out why the hell Van would. . .would do something like that to Luke. . .

As he ran, he manipulated the fonons, pushing the miasma up to the ceiling and clearing a path for anyone behind him. It wouldn't last long, but it would last long enough.

"Master?" Mieu asked again.

"Sorry, Mieu, but. . .shut up for a minute!"

Finally, he arrived in a room practically _smothered_ in miasma, from top to bottom, and he saw them; the miners. Their coughs and cries truly got to him, and he felt like he would explode into tears. But what could he do! He shut his eyes tight and tried to think, fast.

_What to do, what to do. . ._

Then he had it, eyes snapping open as he manipulated the fonons in the room again, spreading the miasma away from the downed miners; this should make things easier, he hoped. He truly, honestly, hoped.

"Forgive me," he whispered, before dashing through the room to the other side, somehow finding a hidden passage. Where it lead, he didn't know. How he found it, he still didn't know. But he followed it as far as he dared.

And he prayed,

Prayed to all the Gods and sentiences that he wouldn't be too late!

And he cursed Dorian General Van Grants to the darkest, hottest, worst depths of Hell.

**oOo**

"Good. Concentrate just like that," Van commanded. Ion could only stand back and watch, up against the wall of the farthest part of the passage ring while Luke stood in front of it, hands out in front of him and concentrating.

That's right; the _passage ring__**.**_

What on earth did Van think Luke could do?

"STOP IT!"

Van and Ion both turned towards the entrance of the passage ring, finding a very tired, very _upset_ Alex standing there, glaring down at the Commandant.

Van. . .only smirked.

"Now," he began again, looking back to Luke, "'foolish replica Luke'. . .unleash your power!"

Alex's breath hitched in his throat before he jumped down from here he was, landing right in front of Van and pulling out his sword.

But it was too late.

The instant Alex tried to strike Van, he was blocked, and then knocked backwards into the wall by some unknown force that came from Luke. Not only him, but Ion, too, was knocked back.

"Master!" Mieu cried, revealing himself and hopping about in front of Alex, who was currently trying his best to stay awake; damn the miasma!

Luke's eyes squeezed shut with fright, his hands glowing a bright gold.

"W-What the hell. . .s-something's. . .coming out of me," he said shakily. Whatever it was. . .he tried to grasp it; tried to control it. But even as he did. . .he was no use! He couldn't do anything! The more he tried to grasp his hands on it, the more it spiraled out of control.

A flash of gold filled the room.

The sound of something shattering echoed.

And the next thing Luke knew, the passage ring in front of him was no more.

The redhead sunk to the ground on his knees, hands in front of him keeping him from collapsing. He was. . .exhausted. . .

Ion's eyes widened in realization; without the passage ring, Akzeriuth would. . .would. . .!

"What have you _done_?" he whispered, knowing full-well that no one could hear him. The ground shook violently, and the Fon Master took to holding on to Alex's weakened body.

"You've finally proven useful, replica," Van spat, venom clear in his voice as he looked down at Luke, who only looked up at him in confusion.

"Master. . .?"


	36. Broken

Cao - GRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRR! _(mauls Van Grants)_

Alex - Err. . .let's skip today's A/N's, 'kay?

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Thirty-Five – Broken**

"Get these men out of here!" Jade ordered, watching as some of the stray Oracle Knights they'd found on their way into the tunnel worked furiously. He didn't understand, though he hardly showed it; Dorian General Van Grants was supposed to have been in here with the Vanguard. Why were these miners still. . .?

"Colonel!"

The brunette turned and looked towards where his name was called, more than surprised to find Tear running up to him.

"Tear? What's going on?" he inquired, eyes narrowing and brow furrowing.

"Where's Van?" she demanded instead, ignoring the question. "He's planning to do something horrible!"

"What happened with the Seventh Fonstone?"

"It was a fake. The Oracle Knights were almost kidnapped me instead. The Vanguard was completely wiped out!"

"Why you?"

Tear bit on her lip, watching as the Knights worked for a moment before turning to look back at Guy, Natalia, and Anise, all of which were currently paused in the middle of ordering the Oracle soldiers they'd been put in charge of.

"It's my brother," the melodist started again. "He's trying to protect me from what he's about to do!"

Silence; Jade didn't have to ask for her to continue, for he knew she would anyway. But what on all of Auldrant could Van _possibly_ do?

"Van is planning to _destroy Akzeriuth_."

That did it.

"Get these men out of here, _now_!" Jade ordered loudly. "Guy! Natalia! Anise! Come with us!"

"Hey! Do something about that dreck you call Luke, or we're _all going to die!!"_

Asch came dashing through the area, red hair tailing behind him as he narrowly avoided being roasted by the two griffins that were chasing him at top speed. It was a wonder he wasn't killed yet! The God-General vanished down some secret passageway that Jade didn't notice until now. His eyes narrowed, brows furrowed in concentration. . .

. . .at least, until the ground shook violently and started to crack.

"We have to hurry!" Tear ordered, dashing off after Asch and was undoubtedly followed by the others.

**oOo**

Luke stared up at Van in a sort of daze, unsure of what he was saying or talking about.

Replica?

What was that?

What was going on?

Why was the ground shaking so badly?

"_Damn! _We didn't make it!"

All eyes in the passage ring turned to find Asch standing there, glaring down at Van, who was glaring right back at him, surprise in his eyes.

"Asch! Why are you here?! I told you not to come!" the Commandant snarled angrily.

". . .Too bad. And, I also brought the sister _you_ tried to save!" The God-General's eyes then turned to Alex and Ion, about to make an attempt to go over to them. But before he knew it, one of the birds that had chased him grabbed his arm in its claws. This. . ._really_. . .got to him.

Van ignored him, walking over to Ion and Alex.

"Alex, are you okay? Please, say something!" Ion pleaded, trying to get the boy up. But it was no use. He'd inhaled too much miasma. The Fon Master glanced up at Van when he came to them, trying his best to keep the man away from Alex but it was no use; the Commandant picked the boy up effortlessly by the front of his shirt. "Commandant, let him go!"

"I'm afraid I cannot follow those orders, Fon Master," Van said before glaring into the boy's golden eyes.

"L-Let me. . .g-go!" Alex gasped; he felt like he was suffocating!

"You have _failed_."

"Wha. . .?"

Ion watched as Alex's body seemed to tense up instantly, golden eyes wide and turning emerald green, and then the boy cried out, squeezing his eyes shut tight as something seemed to siege his body before he fell limp. The Fon Master watched in horror while the Commandant only smirked, tossing the boy on the ground and straightening up. Then the second bird that had chased Asch swooped down and he jumped on its back, the creature joining the one holding and enduring a struggling Asch.

"Let me go! I'm going to die here, too!" the redhead growled.

"I'd intended to save Ion with that. But I have no choice now; I can't afford to lose you!"

The ground was shattered, gaps forming and trapping Ion with Mieu and Alex, the little blue cheagle constantly trying to wake his master up again.

"Van!"

The Commandant turned his attention to the passage ring entrance, watched as Tear ran up below him and glared right up at him. Following behind her were Jade, Anise, Natalia, and Guy, all of which ran to help Ion, Alex, and Luke. The griffin carrying Asch flew up to take him to safety, despite the God-General's attempts to get free. And soon, his struggles were out of sight

"You've betrayed me!" she shouted, utter hatred in her eyes. "You said you were going to _preserve_ these Outer Lands! What about the people of Akzeriuth?! The Oracle Soldiers in the Tartarus?! _They'll all be killed!"_

"Mystearica. . .someday you'll come to understand just how ugly this world is," Van said calmly. "I want you to live. . .at least long enough to come to your senses! Remember the Fonic Hymns!"

And he was off.

Tear stood there, hurt; betrayed; like a failure.

"Alex, please! Wake up!" Anise pleaded, snapping the melodist out of her trance long enough for her to get down to them.

"This isn't good. We'll die at this rate," Jade said, biting on his lower lip in thought. But not even _he_ was that good. Then Tear remembered; the Fonic Hymns!

"Everyone! Gather around me!" she ordered, watching as Guy helped Luke to his feet. The ceiling was starting to crack, and it was now or never! They didn't have any time!

She raised her staff, holding it close to her as she concentrated with all her might.

The ceiling collapsed, everyone's voices lost in the chaos.

And soon. . .everyone was engulfed in darkness.

**oOo**

Luke stirred lightly, hand clenching in the dirt as he opened his eyes slowly. He slowly pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, glancing around him; everyone was. . .awake already? But where. . .were they? To his right. . .he could see a sea of some purple, muddy gunk. They were on the smallest piece of land he'd ever seen, and it only registered to him after another minute that. . .there were also dead bodies on there!

"This is. . .awful," Anise whispered, finished with checking Ion for injuries; the Fon Master only seemed tired.

"The Tartarus's emergency buoy is operational," Jade informed the others, and Luke guessed that he had gone to check on the landship. "So it's staying afloat. But. . ." He didn't finish his sentence.

He didn't need to.

Luke felt _sick_.

Guy was searching the area frantically, either looking for survivors or looking for Alex, who had somehow vanished from their sight right now. Natalia was sitting on the ground in a numbed state, staring at the ground like she'd just been dealt the harshest and most thorough defeat of her life. Tear was standing at the edge, gazing out sadly at the miasma.

"I. . .I've failed," the melodist whispered, just loud enough for everyone to hear; it wasn't a big plot of land, after all.

"H-Help. . ."

Everyone's breath hitched, and all eyes turned in the direction. Luke paled; there was. . .a little boy. . .on a single plank of wood. And his father's body was dragging him to his death!

"Daddy. . .it hurts," the child pleaded, crying nonstop. "Daddy. . ."

This set Luke off at once. He made a mad dash towards the boy, but was stopped at once by Guy grabbing his wrists and keeping them firmly behind him. But that didn't stop Luke at all, struggling madly to get free.

"Let me go! We have to save him!" he said frantically. _He's going to die! He's going to die!_

"That's a bottomless sea of mud and miasma!" Tear yelled. "If you jump in there, you'll die."

"Mommy. . .Daddy. . .!" the child continued.

_He's going to die!_

"Will someone give me a hand here?!" Guy demanded, for with each cry, Luke's efforts were becoming stronger. Pretty soon, Jade and Anise had joined in keeping the frantic noble from dashing off.

"It hurts. . .!"

"What can we do for that boy?!" Natalia asked, now getting to her feet.

"Let's try healing fonic artes from here. They might reach," Tear suggested. She wished at once to know where Alex was. There was no doubt the boy could have helped! But where was he?!

_He's going to die! He's going to die!_

Everybody froze when the boy started to sink, a light tremor being the cause. The boy pleaded more and more, and Luke's strength seemed to grow more and more each time.

"Mommy. . .help. . .Daddy. . .!"

Finally, a much stronger tremor acted up, and everyone just about lost their balance. Jade stumbled slightly, but stayed standing, the same with Natalia and Tear. Ion's knees gave out, Anise fell back on her behind, and Guy's grip on Luke faltered as he and the redhead almost fell, too.

That tremor. . .sent the little boy beneath the surface of the miasma, his little hand being the last thing to vanish.

Guy unknowingly let go of Luke and sank to the ground, the redhead pretty much doing the same. The blond stared at the ground, glaring at it hatefully before punching at it rather fiercely; they couldn't save him!

"Is this place going to fall apart, too?" Anise asked slowly, and no one answered, for it was obvious.

"I'll need some help. . .emptying out the Tartarus," Jade informed, and reluctantly, Guy stood up to help. The two then walked in silence to get to the Tartarus, but were promptly stopped by a scream. Everyone just about jumped out of their skins and immediately tried to find the source. It took a while, but they found it.

Alex.

The boy was sitting there on the ground with Mieu beside him looking at him curiously, tears streaming down his face relentlessly as he stared at the corpse of a particular young boy. One with blond hair and open golden eyes, tattered clothing, and laying next to a white haired boy who looked like he'd tried to protect him.

"That's. . .that boy," Anise whispered. "The one Alex had to save from falling into the crater."

The child's shaking was obvious, and Luke stared on in horror; he was pale. Extremely pale, and he looked like he would throw up.

Alex screamed again, pain and anguish in his voice that Guy acted on instantly, going up behind the boy and placing a firm hand over the boy's eyes. Still, the child cried out endlessly, tears leaking through the guardian's hand despite it all, and the older one was forced to wrap an arm around his waist and pull him in close, despite his constant struggles.

Luke. . .felt disgustingly awful. . .

**oOo**

The Tartarus was emptied, the corpses tossed into the sea of miasma. It was managing to run, and Tear had informed them that there would be a place called Yulia City where they were could stop and rest.

No one had thought to doubt her.

Guy was sitting against the railing with Alex in his arms, the boy's eyes still covered. He was still shaking and crying, and the blond still had his left arm around the boy's waist, whispering little words of comfort to him all the while. The child had long-since lost the energy to fight against him, and Guy couldn't help but worry; he was pale. Extremely so. He was also cold and clammy, his breathing and heartbeat irregular. Mieu was currently curled up in Alex's lap, snuggled up as close to him as possible in his own way of comforter his master.

Anise was hovering not far from them, looking torn between wanting to stay with Ion, who was right next to her as they stood at the railing with their arms folded on it, and going to comfort Alex as well.

Natalia was leaning against the wall beside the door to the Tartarus, Tear trying to comfort the Princess herself.

Luke. . .was sitting in a lonesome corner, as far away from everyone as possible, staring at the ground in a daze.

To describe how he felt right now. . .would be impossible.

"Well," came Jade's voice as he came outside from within the Tartarus. "we are now on a direct course for what should be the city Tear mentioned. The Tartarus looks like it will still run."

"No matter how far we go, there's nothing in sight," Guy said, softly and carefully so as not to startle the broken child in his arms. "Are we really underground?"

"In a way," Tear began, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Where you live in is known as the Outer Lands down here – the world's outer shell. It's a floating land that's supported by pillars that extend from the Qliphoth, known as the Sephiroth Trees."

"I don't understand," Natalia said softly.

"Long ago, the Outer Lands were here, in the Qliphoth. The miasma enveloped Auldrant and infected the land two thousand years ago. That's when Yulia read the seven-part Score, finding away to save the lands, escaping destruction and bringing prosperity."

"Unbelievable," Anise whispered, and now, all able eyes were on Tear.

"Based on the Score, Yulia proposed a plan to raise the planet's crust using the Sephiroth," Ion finished, and everyone remained silent for a moment.

"So that was the beginning of the Outer Lands?" Guy asked, though he didn't wait for an answer. "That's quite a story."

"Yes. Only those of maestro and above in the Order of Lorelei know of this, as do those in the Qliphoth."

"Then. . .are you from the Qliphoth, Tear. . .?" Natalia questioned, looking at the melodist.

She didn't answer.

"At any rate," Ion intercepted, "we've fallen down here. And it's thanks to Tear's fonic hymn that we're still alive."

Alex whimpered slightly, and everyone froze just a little bit. Guy bit down on his lower lip and huddled over the boy even more, trying to give him the comfort he needed. But that was awfully hard to do when he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.

"He's inhaled too much of the miasma," Tear informed, walking up to Guy and Alex, the former of the two stiffening slightly when she came close but forcing himself to endure this. "I can at least keep him stabilized, but once we're in Yulia City, we should be able to have the supplies needed to help him."

"I hate to have to do this at a time like this," Jade said, eyes turning to Luke, who was still slumped on the ground. "But I'd like to know what happened. Why did Akzeriuth fall? Ion," he addressed, and the Fon Master turned attentive, "you said Akzeriuth was supported by a pillar, correct?"

"Yes, but. . .that pillar disintegrated," the Fon Master answered.

"How?" Anise questioned, looking at Ion curiously.

Then, everyone's eyes turned to Luke, who seemed utterly oblivious to it all.

"It seems our red-haired noble here is the one with the answers we need," Jade said finally, and that snapped Luke out of whatever trance he was in.

"Luke? Please. . .tell us what happened," Natalia said, trying to keep her voice steady. The redhead looked like he was going to speak, but his voice seemed to catch in his throat and he turned his gaze away from them. The Princess reached over to place a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I. . .I just. . .I just wanted to help. . .I didn't know what would _happen!"_

Everyone froze, and Natalia withdrew her hand from Luke at once. By defending his actions. . .he'd just pleaded guilty.

"You followed my brother blindly," Tear said, voice cold. "And you were deceived. And you destroyed the pillar supporting Akzeriuth."

"No! T-That. . .can't be. . .! I-I was just trying to neutralize the miasma. . .!"

"Van told you to stand in front of the passage ring. Those are what create the pillars supporting the Outer Lands," Ion said, voice sad and hurt now. "Tear is probably right. . ."

"I wish you would have thought to at least discuss this with us beforehand, Luke," Jade spoke, and his voice was filled with carefully hidden venom. "Neutralizing the miasma could have waited _after_ evacuating the residents. Though there is little point in saying that now"

"I didn't know—!"

A swift _'smack!'_ sounded throughout the group, and Luke was now holding his now-bruising cheek, looking up at an angered Natalia, who had been the one to slap him.

"Akzeriuth is _gone_," she reprimanded harshly. "_Thousands_ of lives were just lost in an _instant!"_

"I-It's not my fault. . .! It. . .can't be. . .!"

Everyone only stared on at Luke, the Kimlascan princess stepping back away from him slowly.

"Master Van. . .tricked me! I-I had no idea this would happen! No one. . .no one told me!" Luke declared, voice raising as he looked up at everyone. His eyes were welling up with tears. _"It's not my fault!"_

Jade closed his eyes, hands stuffed in his pockets as he simply turned and walked away. "I'm heading inside. I feel as though I'll be annoyed by idiotic ranting."

And he disappeared into the Tartarus.

"W-Why. . .why is everyone blaming me. . .?" Luke questioned, hurt evident in his voice.

"Luke," Ion spoke softly, but Anise soon had a grip on his wrist.

"Don't even bother, Ion. He's not worth it," the Fon Master Guardian said.

They, too, disappeared into the Tartarus.

"And here I actually thought you had some good in you," Tear spat venomously. And for once, she didn't feel guilty for her words. She turned around to look at Guy. "Bring Alex to me when you can. I still want to stabilize him."

And thus, the melodist and the Kimlascan princess left as well.

Now, Guy was alone with Luke. He. . .honestly didn't know _what_ to say. He had seriously. . .honestly. . .

"Guy. . .?"

The guardian looked up at Luke, seeing tears in the redhead's eyes. He felt. . .he felt so. . .

Alex coughed, trying to squirm out of Guy's arms somewhat but stopping instantly and whimpering instead, then proceeded to bury himself in the older boy's chest.

"Guy, you believe me. . .right?"

"Luke," the blond swordsman started, making to get up. He disturbed Mieu in the process, the blue cheagle having to get out of Alex's lap while Guy shifted to carry the boy more comfortably in his arms. "Don't make me think even less of you. . ."

And he, too, left.

Luke felt the dam holding his tears back break, hanging his head and staring at the ground. At first, he was quiet, listening as the door to the inside opened and closed. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and a sob escaped his lips, his arms wrapping around himself until he finally broke down and just cried and sobbed uncontrollably.

Mieu, though wanting to go with his Master, didn't, instead stopping in front of Luke. Though the red-haired noble didn't notice him, and he sure as heck didn't like him.

"Luke. . .I-I know how you feel," Mieu said, hopping up carefully into Luke's lap and curling up against him as much as possible. "I was sad, too, when I burned down my home. A lot of my people got hurt because of me. So. . .I can understand how you're feeling."

He was ignored, as expected. But the cheagle didn't care, only wanting to comfort the poor, broken boy.

**oOoOoOo**

Cao - NO REVIEW means NO NEW CHAPTER

Alex - Straight-forward, don'tcha think?

Shin - S-She killed me. . .and totally tore you apart, Lex. . .

Alex - o.O Wtf. . .who the hell let _him_ in?!

Cao - Meeeeeeeeeee!

Shin - _(smirks)_ What? You don't think I have a right to be here?

Alex - N-N-No! That's not it at all—!

Shin - _(smirks even more before up and giving Alex a peck on his cheek)_ Oh?

Alex - O_lll_O _(pretty much passes out)_

Cao - Shin, meet People. People, meet Shin; the lil blond boy who was saved by Alex and also killed in Akzeriuth, and is also _(snickers)_ Alex's best friend-slash-lover. . .on occasion.

Shin - I'm a guest star! Now review, 'kay?


	37. Truth's Revealed

Cao - . . .

Alex - Well?

Cao - . . .I have nothing to say. . .

Shin - You said it.

Alex - What the—?! Out!

Shin - No way, Lex! _(grins and tackles Alex into a hug)_

Alex - Yamero, baka inu!

Cao - XD _(Happier now)_ Moving on!

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Thirty-Six– Truths Revealed**

Alex woke up after god-knows-how-long, his eleven-year-old body completely and utterly sore and hurting and just terrible. No words of an eleven-year-old could describe it. He wasn't even sure if everything after finding Shin's dead body was real or not.

He really, sincerely hoped not.

The boy rolled over onto his front slowly, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees shakily before he just collapsed there on whatever he was laying on; a bed, probably, judging by the blanket-type thing covering him. Though where, he had no idea. It took him a moment longer to realize that he could see and another moment to realize that he could get up out of bed. But as soon as he even tried, he had one hand clapping over his mouth and another on his stomach, doing his very, very best to fight down that horrendous urge to throw up. But it felt like he was fighting a losing battle.

"Don't try to get up!"

Alex didn't know who it was or what happened, but it was impossible now, anyway, for him to even try to get up. He was almost positive that his legs would give up on him if he tried. Yet despite that, he still seemed to have the strength to move. He could barely fight down his own stomach, but the next thing he knew, he'd gotten out of bed, dashed to the nearest bathroom (which, he didn't know how he found, exactly) and emptied his stomach out into the sink. He wasn't sure if he should be thankful that it was over or ashamed that it had even gotten out of control like that. He may appear to get deathly sick, but never to this point.

He shuddered again, realizing now that he was panting and also that there was a hand rubbing circles on his back. He felt awful. Really, really, _really_ awful, so he was glad for a little support. He had to blink once or twice when his vision blurred slightly, then chanced a glance over to who was currently comforting him. Tear, it looked like.

"Feel better?" she asked gently, and he nodded slowly. Hands much stronger than him lifted him up off the ground for a moment then deposited him in a far corner of the room, away from the mess. It obviously wasn't Tear, because Alex watched her stand up, look away from the sink, and shuddered while she reached over and turned on the water to clean away the mess. The child felt way too exhausted to put much effort into figuring out who had carried him, though he did see Guy come into his vision with a rag and cleaned him up.

Normally, Alex would have struggled. He kind of did, but barely enough, and thus, he was cleaned up in no time. Front included. He didn't register anymore voices after that, seeing Tear speaking to Guy before heading out of the bathroom, leaving the two servants there alone. It didn't take long before the blond took him into his arms, and he just lay there comfortably against his chest.

Then. . .

"Where's. . .Luke?"

An awkward silence, though not one Alex could detect in his weakened state. But he felt Guy stiffen and tighten his hold a little bit.

"He's. . .outside. With Mieu."

And that was the last thing he heard.

**oOo**

"Master," Mieu squeaked, trying to keep up with Guy.

The group arrived in Yulia City, with Jade in the front and Anise holding Ion's hand and leading him along right behind the Colonel. Guy and Tear hung near the back, with the former carrying a sick blue-haired child on his back and the latter careful to keep her distance while trying to sum up all that was wrong. Bringing up the rear of the group was Luke, the redhead's clothes dirty and emerald eyes looking downcast.

Then he stopped walking. Everyone else kept walking.

"Tch. You really are _pathetic_!"

Luke's eyes widened slightly as he spun around and turned to come face-to-face with none-other-than Asch the Bloody.

"You. . ."

"You stupid _dreck!"_ Asch practically shouted, his hand curling around his sword's hilt and pulling it out slowly. "Why didn't you think before using your hyperresonance?! How could you so blindly trust Van?!" The redhead swore, slashing his blade once in the air until it rested at his right side firmly, though he glared at the ground. "If only I realized what he was planning sooner. . ."

"S-So," Luke began, his voice sounding somewhat desperate - and he was; he was desperate for answers, "so, Master Van really. . .he really wanted me to. . .?"

"What are you, stupid? Of course he wanted you to! And you fell for it!"

"So you're saying it's my fault, too?!"

"Of course it is! Don't even try to deny it!" Asch glared at Luke for a moment before turning away, his gaze elsewhere. "Damn it, are _all_ replica brains this defective?"

"Replica. . .?"

"What the hell. . .you can't even figure it out for yourself?!"

"What are you—!" Luke began to question the God General again, but was shut up as Asch's blade was swung down in front of him. The noble froze, so sure he'd been hit, and yet not feeling pain at all. No. . .that attack had been a threat. It hadn't been intended to hit.

"Fine. Then I'll tell you, 'Luke'," Asch sneered, straightening his posture again while the other redhead simply scrambled backwards, though he was obviously stopped by the fact that he'd reached the edge of the platform.

"_Stop it!"_

Running as fast as his sick body would allow towards the two redheaded teens was Alex, obviously exhausted yet somehow still moving. Coming in close behind him, but barely able to keep up with him, were Guy and Tear. The blue-haired child ran right up to Luke, standing in front of him and facing Asch, arms spread out at either side of him. He was panting heavily, his breathing uneven, and he was even flushed and a bit sweaty. But that didn't seem to stop him.

"Move, brat," Asch spat, raising his sword again.

"No! You can't—! He's not ready!" Alex managed to shout back.

Luke was stunned.

"I don't give a damn! It's high-time he figured out that his existence is a fucking mistake!"

"You're wrong! It's n-ot!" Alex coughed, squeezing his eyes shut. His arms dropped to wrap around himself, the boy shaking with the obvious effort to keep standing up.

Luke didn't get it. _Why is he protecting me?_ he questioned in his mind, unable to speak it out loud. _I. . .I've been nothing but horrible to him!_

Guy suddenly came up and grabbed Alex, supporting the boy that looked like he was about to collapse. Tear moved to stand between the blond and the God General, her staff raised in defense as she narrowed her eyes, focused on the target.

"Asch, what are you doing here? What have you told him?" she demanded. The redheaded God General merely made a noise of annoyance.

"I told him nothing. . ._yet."_

'_Hey, Dreck. Can you hear me?'_

No one figured out how it happened. All Luke knew was that one minute, a head-splitting pain crashed over him, and in the next, he was kneeling on the ground, fisting his hair and gritting his teeth, doing everything in his power not to scream. Asch smirked while Guy let out a startled noise, which in turn made Tear glance behind her at Luke.

'_Looks like you can. Well then, seeing how I can't be interrupted _this _way, I'll tell you just about everything.'_

"Get. . .out of. . .my head!" Luke grunted, squeezing his eyes shut and bowing his head lower, his hold on his hair tightening to the point where he could feel his fingers against his palms through the red locks.

'_It's weird, don't you think? How you and I look exactly alike? Why do you think that is?'_

"Shut. . .up. . .!"

'_I'm a noble from Baticul. Of the House of Fabre. Seven years ago, I was kidnapped by a villain named Van. I was tormented daily. I couldn't even keep track of time anymore! The only thing that stays firm in my head is something the scientists shouted. _'We've done it. We've created the perfect replica.'_ Now, who do you think that was?'_

"It's a lie," Luke whispered, lifting his head up enough to look at Asch. "You're. . .lying!"

"You think I like it? To think that dreck like _you_ is _my_ replica," Asch spat out loud. Luke, realizing the pain was gone, lowered his hands and pushed himself up into until he was standing, though a little wobbly. The God General sneered. "What? Have something to say?"

"It's not true," the broken noble whispered, "it's not. It. . .it can't be true. You're a liar!"

Luke drew out his sword, gripping it in his left hand and glaring at Asch as much as one in his situation could at that moment.

"Oh? You want to fight, replica?"

"Shut up!"

Luke dashed forward, oblivious to the cries of his three companions. Asch scoffed, using his own Maestro sword to block the noble's one with ease. Then, in a split second, the God General knocked the blade away, though not enough to knock it out of its owner's hands.

The two redheads fought, with Luke slashing wildly at Asch, trying to get some sort of hit. The God General only blocked each and every strike, shooting out a strike arte or two of his own whenever the young noble did, and the result was the two of them unleashing the exact artes at the exact same time, ultimately dealing no damage to either of them.

But Luke's attacks became wilder, clumsier, leaving more openings for Asch to get in and strike the other redhead, not that the young noble seemed to notice.

"Get out of my way, _replica_."

Asch did it. He snuck into Luke's guard and smacked away the dull sword, the thing flying and skidding to a halt some distance away.

"Asch, stop it!" Tear called out, finally heard by the two redheads. But the God General did not stop, taking the offensive and trying to cut up his redhead twin, who could only manage to dodge and keep going back, until finally, he tripped over his feet and fell backwards onto the ground, landing hard on his backside. He quickly tried to get up, but Asch's sword was pointed at his head, and he froze.

"It's not true," Luke whispered, shivering, trembling, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief as he stared at the ground. "There's no way it can be true, I—!" His vision was starting to get clouded by a bright white light, starting at the edge of his vision and growing.

The last thing he got a glimpse of was Asch the Bloody, looking like he'd just won a major fight.

**oOoOoOo**

**BR/N: Aha! Yes! Finally! We have the truth out! I personally loved this chapter a lot. And now, readers, leave a nice review!**


	38. Revelation

_Cao - OHEMGEE! SECOND-TO-LAST CHAPTER! XD  
_

_Alex - . . .Right._

_Cao - Hush. I swear to you, you'll get a part in the next one. XD_

_Alex - . . ._

_Cao - TO THE CHAPTER! (will try to get another today)_

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Thirty-Seven - Revelation**

_In Belkend, Commandant of the God Generals Vandesdelca Grants sat in his office at his desk, eyes trained on a diary before him, turning the pages in a bored manner. Standing beside him on his right was Major Legretta, her posture straight as she kept her eyes focused on something – or someone – in front of them._

_The Commandant looked up, finally, and put his elbows on the desk top, resting his chin on his hands. His eyes were looking at a boy, but no ordinary boy. He had short brown hair, two side-bangs longer than the rest and framing his face. His eyes were crimson red, the pupils nothing more than slits and a small scar on his left cheek. He was smirking, revealing his pointed fangs. Aside from that, he wore normal attire, with a blood red, plain, short-sleeved t-shirt, black slacks, and dress shoes. Yet around his shoulders was a cloak, tied together with a simple string in a little bow. The hood was down, the overall 'body' of the cloak was just hanging cape-style behind him. On his wrists were silver bracelets, and his skin was somewhat tanned. The only abnormalities about this boy were three key things._

_One was his nails; they were abnormally sharp, looking like they could cut through just about anything thrown at them. Another was the cat-like ears on the top of his head, the fur matching the colour of his hair and the inside of the ear a nice pink. The third and final thing was the small cat tail behind him, flicking every so often._

"_So," Vandesdelca started, his voice echoing in the deathly-silent room, "to what do I owe this. . .pleasure?"_

"_What? Not even a hug? A 'hey, it's been a while!'? You're cold, Van," the cat boy sighed, ears drooping in mock hurt._

"_Answer the Commandant's question," Major Legretta ordered, her patience wearing thin. All she received as an answer was the boy sticking his tongue out at her._

"_The Higher-Ups aren't pleased, Van," the cat boy pressed on, looking back at the General. "They think you've forgotten about the plan. Do you even remember it?"_

"_Of course I do."_

"_So why are you trying to destroy all of Auldrant? You realize you'll be killing off the vitals, right? Replicas won't suffice; we need the _originals._"_

"_The world is bound by the Score. The only way to free it is to kill off the originals. If the Higher-Ups don't like that, then I'm afraid I'll have to part ways here."_

"_They won't like this, Grants," the cat boy warned, crimson eyes turning white. "You'll be marked a traitor. They'll make sure you fail, even if it means allying with our enemies."_

"_Then so be it."_

_Little did the threesome know, one redheaded God General lingered at the barely-open door, emerald eyes wide._

**oOo**

When Luke could finally see something other than white, he was staring into a mirror, obviously standing.

But. . .no. . .wait. . .

It wasn't himself staring back at him. It was _Asch_. Why was _Asch_ looking back at him?

'_What's going on?'_

"Asch!"

The strangest of feelings crashed over Luke. He could watch his vision turning, could even feel the body moving. . .but he wasn't consciously controlling it. He was sure of that. He tried to, but was nothing happened whatsoever.

'_Wait. . .Asch?'_

He heard Asch, right? Yeah, he did! He didn't even hear his own name!

Luke soon saw Tear in his vision, the melodist obviously quite annoyed, for she had her hands on her hips and she was scowling at him.

"What?" he heard Asch's voice saw. And yet, where _was_ Asch?

"If you want to get the Tartarus up, talk to the mayor – my grandfather – about it," she said, somewhat impatiently. "Just remember, I'm not going to go with you." And then the melodist exited his field of vision.

'_What's going on?!'_

'_Can you hear me, Luke?'_

Luke stiffened in whatever prison he was in. He couldn't look around, but either he was going crazy, or he'd just heard Asch's voice in his head!

'_You've got it backwards. _You_ are in _my_ head,'_ Asch's voice said again._ '_You_ are over here.'_

Luke could see the scene change, and again, that weird feeling of moving yet not controlling it washed over him. What was even _more_ bizarre was the fact that he was staring at his own body, lying unconscious on the bed!

'_You and I,'_ Asch began again, _'are perfect isofons. You're a perfect replica, right down to your fonon frequency.'_

Again. That word. 'replica'. If Luke could control a body, he would have flinched.

'_I-I'm no replica. . .'_

'_A perfect replica and its original can connect via their fon slots. Yours were adjusted in Choral Castle so they'd be open for me. You've heard me several times since then, right?'_

'_N-Now that you mention it. . .then. . .that my voice is inside your head. . .that means I'm really. . .!'_

'_Not just your voice. I could control your whole body. Of course, I doubt dreck like you could pull _that_ off.'_

'_S-Stop making fun of me! Just you wait; I'll be able to do it!'_

Asch only chuckled, ignoring Luke for now as he decided to turn around and head downstairs, explaining to his replica where they were and where the others were. What they were doing and what they planned to do. Luke had been shocked, at first, when he heard they were heading to the Outer Lands, almost outraged, but Asch shot him down, explaining to him that there was nothing to be gained from staying down here.

Luke felt his conscience eat him alive when Asch mentioned Guy and Alex, knowing full-well that it was his fault the poor boy was suffering. And Guy. . .Guy was emotionally attached to him in a lot of ways. Truth be told, so was Luke, but he'd never admit it. At least. . .not back then.

Asch made a small noise of annoyance, elbow resting on the railing separating him from the miasma mud, as he could feel his replica's emotions start to overwhelm him. At least the idiot was guilty. But that didn't mean he wanted to deal with it, especially when he needed to concentrate with this. Besides, he could feel Natalia's gaze on him, with the Kimlascan princess not being too far from him right now.

'_Do you want to see him, dreck?'_

'_. . .Yeah.'_

And so, Asch allowed himself to move again, entering the main building, where the entrance to the conference room, housing district, and other rooms were. Yet he didn't take any of the obvious doorways, much to Luke's confusion. The God General went to a carefully hidden door in the massive building, somehow managing to avoid Jade, who was talking with some of the residents.

From what Luke could tell, it was a medical ward, with probably only one doctor and two nurses, nothing more. The entire place was relatively empty, save for the unconscious or sleeping person.

'_From what I've heard, they keep all the severe miasma cases in this place,'_ Asch informed, filling in a few blanks for his replica.

'_Severe?'_

'_Cases that have a low chance of survival.'_

Asch swore quietly when he felt Luke almost snap. He had always been blunt about things, and always would be. The dreck had to grow up and accept it! But. . .damn. He had to admit, even _he_ was a little worried. The original decided to continue into the room, passing most of the empty beds. It was then that Luke noticed who was in the farthest corner, just barely seen from behind a curtain that was hiding one occupant of a bed.

As Asch came closer, Guy was fully revealed, sitting on a stool as close to the bed as he was allowed to, elbows resting on his legs, hands clasped together, and chin resting on top of his hands, He looked so tired. A lot more tired than Luke had ever seen him before, and there was worry etched all over his face and in his eyes. On the opposite side of the bed was Tear, along with another healer. While the nameless healer was sitting and whispering chants to healing and curing spells, Tear was murmuring the soft songs of the hymn Luke recalled as Revitalize.

The restless occupant of the bed was Alex, pain evident on his face. Whatever he was trying to achieve by constantly tossing and turning, he obviously wasn't getting it.

"How is he?" Asch asked, startling Guy a little. He had to give the two healers credit for not reacting at all.

"He's. . .he's alright. . .for now," Guy answered hesitantly, looking back at Alex for a moment then back at the floor, a troubled look replacing his startled one quickly. "But. . ." The blond obviously could not continue, closing his eyes and brows furrowing in worry.

'_Is. . .is there something else?'_ Luke asked hesitantly, trying to keep him cool.

Asch ignored his replica, simply turning and heading on out of the medical facility. He stopped when he was near the exit, looking at Jade out of the corner of his eyes. The Malkuthian colonel was looking right at him, but it didn't matter; Asch didn't shy away, simply waiting as the man came towards him.

"Well, well," Jade started, hands in his pockets as they always seemed to be. "You've provided us quite a bit of information. Though I get the feeling there's more to it."

"Are you ever satisfied with the answers you get?" Asch asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Not if I know there's more to it than that."

'_What did you tell him?'_ Luke questioned.

'_The truth. What else?' _Asch shot back.

'_About. . .how I'm your replica. . .?'_

'_Only the others were surprised. The old man just had his suspicions confirmed.'_

'_What!'_

"Well?" Jade asked, crimson eyes burning into Asch. "What else are you hiding?"

"Everything else is about that damned kid you're so curious about," the redheaded God General snapped back, scowling at the colonel. "If you want to find out about him, either ask his guardian or figure it out for yourself."

"There are no records of the Kinjo family left, them having all been burned those seven or more years ago. And his 'guardian' doesn't have the faintest idea of who or what he really is."

"You talk about him as if he's a runaway science experiment. . ."

"For all I know, he could be."

'_How could he say that__?__!' _Luke exclaimed, unable to contain himself.

'_He's a scientist. It's natural for him to think like that. Try and put yourself in his position,'_ Asch growled back to his replica, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, old man, I can promise you that he's definitely a regular kid—"

"Aside from him being a scion to one of the sentiences?" Jade interjected.

". . .Right."

"Do tell me why you and your companions felt the need to kidnap him, though. And how do I know you can be trusted?"

"_Look_," Asch growled through gritted teeth, his patience wearing thin. This man and his endless questioning. . .it wasn't like he knew everything! "All I know is that the kid's from some family by the name of Kinjo, which is known for its control in the Third Fonon. I don't know details. Van's the one with all the answers. Everything I know is just stuff that was deemed alright to tell me."

'"_Is"? I thought they were killed off!' _Luke exclaimed.

The redheaded God General could see the Malkuthian Colonel's brows furrow in concentration, and he instantly regretted what he'd said, cursing under his breath especially when his damned replica point it out. Before Jade could question any further, Asch turned and walked straight on to the Conference Room, where he recalled Tear had said the mayor of Yulia City would be.

'_Asch, what're you hiding?!'_

'_Shut up, dreck!'_

Luke was certainly surprised by his original's actions, so much so that said original could feel the emotion himself. And he didn't like it the slightest bit.

True to Tear's word, as soon as Asch had walked through the light that was the door to the Conference room, he saw an old man sitting on the far end of the massive table, looking at him as though he'd expected him.

"What do you think of the Qliphoth?" the old man asked once the redhead was within earshot.

"It's just as I'd heard," Asch answered, stopping beside the Mayor. "Not very pleasant."

"It's no place for human beings to live. The land is covered by the miasma and the Outer Lands, and the land is a liquefied crust flowing over the mantle."

'_Then why would these people live here?'_ Luke questioned, temporarily forgetting that he could not be heard.

"Why not move to the Outer Lands, then?" Asch said, voicing his replica's question.

"You know our role. We are watchers. We cannot leave this land," the old man replied gravely.

'_What are they watching. . .?'_

"I heard there may be a way to raise the Tartarus back up to the Outer Lands," the redheaded God General pressed on, this time fully ignoring his replica.

"We've attached a fonon activator similar to the ones from the passage rings onto the Tartarus," the Mayor responded. "It should be able to stimulate the Akzeriuth's Sephiroth to raise a tree one final time."

"And we ride the Sephiroth all the way back up."

"But are you absolutely sure you need the landship?"

"I wouldn't have asked if we didn't."

"Alright. Then would you like me to lead you to the Tartarus right now?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Then let us go. I'll have my informants send for the others accompanying you."

The old man got up from his seat, his height rather short compared to Asch as he led the way to the landship.

'_Are you really leaving?'_ Luke asked, prodding at his original again.

'_Yes.'_

'_What about Alex! And Tear and Guy!'_

'_Tear told me already that she's not going. The brat's in no condition to even stand, let alone attempt a trip on the Tartarus. He almost _died_.'_

'_What about Guy, then?! He'd never leave Alex behind!'_

'_What about _you_?'_

'_. . .huh?'_

'_Think about it, dreck,'_ Asch stared, scowling as he arrived at the Tartarus, told to wait until the others came. Jade had spotted them and followed along, and now the man was eying him suspiciously. _'You can either follow along with me until your body's healed up. It probably won't take longer than a day or two for that without your consciousness in it. But you can also stay here and wait for the damned kid you nearly killed.'_

'_I didn't—'_

'_He never would have gone after you so frantically if you hadn't been stupid enough to go into the mines on your own. You _did_.'_

'_. . .'_

An annoyingly long silence echoed through his head as he waited for both his companions and for an answer. He spotted Natalia coming up to him and the Malkuthian Colonel next to him, closely followed by that Fon Master Guardian, Anise, and the Fon Master himself. And yet still, even after they'd gathered and Jade had told them all to go inside and wait for Guy, he didn't receive an answer.

'_Well, replica? What's it gonna be?'_

**oOoOoOo**

**BR/N: Oh my! Awesome ending! Sounds so like him!**


	39. A Promise

_Cao - OH. EM. GEE. IT'S DONE! O.O_

_Alex - Congrats. . .?_

_Cao - (cheers) YATTA! HA HA! IT'S DONE! YES! YES! YE—_

_Alex - Don't you still have an omake to do for this?_

_Cao - (pauses mid-cheer) . . .You just love killing my joy, don't you?_

_Alex - Just a bit._

_Cao - . . ._

_Alex - Stay tuned!_

_Cao - On a random note: FFNET ANNOYED THE FRIGGIN HELL OUT OF ME! So, if you see any grammar errors, blame FFNet; it wouldn't let me send CRAP to my BR. At least, not to my knowledge. ; ;_

**oOoOoOo**

**Chapter Thirty-Eight – A Promise**

"You expect me to just get up and leave him here?!"

"S-Sir, please, calm down! We understand your feelings—"

"Then you'll understand why I won't leave him _or_ Luke!"

Tear sighed, one hand on her forehead as she watched the scene play out before her. Asch had known she wasn't going to go with him, that much was certain. Not only was it pointless, but she had the duty of watching over two individuals, one being unconscious in her bedroom, the other laying peacefully before them.

And yet. . .he should have at least known that she wouldn't be the only one to refuse. . .

So, here she was, watching as Guy, standing, as he stubbornly refused to leave. She may admire him for caring so much, but. . .

"Sir, please," the messenger – a young man – said, almost pleading now. "They need more hands on the Tartarus if they are to have the bare minimum of maneuverability, and your help was specifically requested by the Malkuthian colonel!"

"Well Jade can go screw himself if he thinks I'm going to leave," Guy snapped, glaring at the poor messenger, a rather uncharacteristic trait for him.

"Guy, please, think about it," Tear spoke up, standing from her seat and walking around the bed so that she was on the same side as the blond. Naturally, he looked torn between wanting to stay and wanting to duck for cover, but she didn't care right now. "Alex has a severe case of miasma toxicosis. Luke has yet to awaken. Both of them probably won't be able to awaken for at least one or two days, and even then, we can't be sure if they would be able to fight after this whole ordeal."

"Luke's going through the hardest thing in his _life_. Alex may have just lost all sense of _sanity_. They'll think we abandoned them!"

"I'm staying here. Or did you forget? I'm perfectly capable of telling them what happened when they awaken." Tear paused, watching as Guy actually seemed to be letting the words sink in. She had a chance. . .she had a chance, and she would _not_ screw it up. "They'll understand. And I'm sure they would rather you stop the war that will break out."

He knew. She knew. Everyone knew. With the fall of Akzeriuth and the supposed 'deaths' of the two heirs to the throne of Malkuth, there was bound to be a war.

Tear could see Guy trying to work up an argument, yet she couldn't read his expression as he looked down at the ground to avoid her gaze; it was hidden by the shadow of his hair.

"S-Sir?" the messenger dared to ask after a few minutes of awkward silence.

A small noise alerted Tear, the melodist quickly turning to the source; just behind the messenger. Her azure eyes widened slightly at the familiar redhead standing there, then they narrowed as she remembered. Remembered all the things he'd said on the Tartarus, remembered what he'd done. But Luke was no longer carrying himself with that air of dignity, no longer as confident as he had been before. On the contrary, he had stolen a glance at them earlier, an now he was staring at the ground with the guiltiest of faces. As if he'd been the one to put Alex in this bed.

And technically. . .he had.

"I'll do it."

Tear's gaze snapped to Guy, a firm resolve in his eyes even if he wasn't looking at her. Did he really. . .?

**oOo**

"Status Report," Jade ordered, standing at the main control panel, on a platform over the others that were seated in the other stations. The ones currently working? Anise and Asch, while Natalia and Ion stood off to the side, out of the way.

"Everything's okay here, Colonel!" Anise proclaimed happily. Yet Jade noted that it sounded forced.

"Can we run this thing with only this many people?" Asch questioned, looking behind his chair at Jade, who was making his way to one of the stations as well.

"We'd have to abandon the Tartarus if we were to be attacked."

A small noise caught everyone's attention, and Asch was out of his seat in an instant. Hand curled around the hilt of his Maestro blade. Jade, who had yet to actually sit, simply stood there, pushing his glasses up his nose to the point where the glare of the light prevented anyone from looking at his eyes, and his hand had conveniently covered his mouth.

The door to the bridge opened, and in walked a very familiar figured, clad in orange, brown and white. Guy was smiling, his own item bag around his waist along with his sword. Seeing the hostile welcome from a certain redhead, though, the smile dropped a fraction.

"Um. . .hey," he said lamely, nervously, as he waved weakly. "Got room for one more on here?"

"You certainly took your time, Guy," Jade remarked, a false smile on his face as he looked at the blond.

"Y-Yeah. Well, I'm here now, right?" The blond stepped down to the level with all of them, looking at Asch, first, then turning his gaze back on Jade once the redhead seemed to dismiss him as nothing and simply looked away. "Just tell me what I should do."

"And with this, we can actually move," Jade announced with false joy. . .or was it real joy?

"I thought you said we could move this with three people, old man," Asch growled.

"Oh, my. Did I? I don't recall," Jade drawled, simply turning and getting into his seat as he started up the Tartarus.

"Why, you—"

**oOo**

Luke sat on the stool on the right of Alex, slouched and staring at the ground almost glassy-eyed. Tear was in front of him, once more performing the necessary amount of healing to keep Alex away from the Bridge of Death. He wasn't sure, but he had the vague feeling that she did that every time the child started writhing in pain. At any rate, Luke could barely keep his emotions at bay at the moment.

_"I'll go. And I'll come back."_

The blue-haired child had a near death grip on the sheets, the knuckles of his hands white as if the tight grip could ease some of his pain. Luke bit on his bottom lip as he watched, hesitantly lifting a hand and reaching towards the boy, but stopping short of his hand. The replica simply let his hand fall onto the bed, resting there as he turned his gaze on the ground again.

_"Those two deserve better. Alex, because he's been through so much at such a young age, and he deserves to know what a normal life is like. Luke, because. . .well, because he's Luke, and his once-simple life has just headed into some weird direction."_

Tear never once stopped singing. Hell, Luke actually wished she'd start singing _louder_ to block out the words that were replaying in his head.

"Y-Yame. . .ro. . .one. . .gai," Alex whispered, panting, to no one in particular, and the redhead had to wonder if the child was sleeping. He stood up, leaning over Alex carefully, unintentionally entering the field of healing fonons that was trying to keep the boy safe, and carefully put a hand on his forehead, albeit hesitantly. He wondered if he should've been surprised that the kid had a fever, though he was definitely surprised by the amount of third fonons flowing around and through him. He was no fonist, and he only had enough knowledge to use them in strike artes, but if someone like him could tell. . .

"They're all contaminated," Tear informed, startling Luke enough to look up at her. He hadn't realized when she stopped her arte, but he certainly didn't keep looking at her. His gaze dropped, that guilty look all over his face again. "His body draws in the third fonon so easily, sometimes automatically, that it has a heavier toll on his body when they aren't normal."

_"They need me now more than ever, the both of them. That's why I'll come back—"_

Luke found himself falling to the ground onto his knees, uncontrollable tears welling up in his eyes and spilling down the side of his face. He heard Tear walk away and leave the facility, but he didn't care, looking at the kid that seemed to have settled now in the bed.

_'He never would have gone after you so frantically if you hadn't been stupid enough to go into the mines on your own.'_

Did that mean Alex knew? Did Alex know all along this was going to happen? If he had, then why. . .why didn't he try to stop him?!

No. . .that was unfair. For starters, the two had never gotten along well. Or he should say, as he got older, they drifted apart. And he'd stopped listening to the boy. He'd trusted Master Van more than the boy, after all.

_Van. . ._

The man. . .had really wanted Akzeriuth to fall. Just thinking about it made the tears already streaming down Luke's face fall thicker and faster, the redhead burying his face in the bed and keeping his arms folded just above his head as he quietly sobbed. Everyone's words from on the Tartarus. . .they still rung in his ears. They hit home. But the ones that hit the hardest were the two that he'd heard just an hour ago.

_"—I promise."_

**oOoOoOo**

Cao - If I get enough reviews, I'll make the Omake at least 3k words long. IF I GET ENOUGH! And enough is, like. . .ten. XD

Alex - You're pushing it.

Cao - I know, but I'm allowed to dream, right? Okay, okay. Seven!

Alex - . . .

Cao - Six?

Alex - . . .

Cao - Five?

Alex - That's more reasonable.

Cao - Gah! Okay. I get five new reviews from five separate people, I'll write an omake at least 3k words long!  
IF! You have questions for the cast, put 'em in the review. And maybe they'll get answered. YEAH! (puts a sword to Alex's neck) Review. Or else.

Alex - What!

Cao - OH! And I might introduce the new scions, too! And definitely, definitely the name of the next fanfic to look out for! XD


	40. Omake

Cao - Okay, so. . .I'm, like. . .looking at the Stats of my stories, and I'm looking at the hits, right? Sound of the Wind got well over 5,000! Or, 5,769 hits, to be exact. Amazing, but. . .eh. One person can create ten hits, so I'm not too excited.

Alex - Reviews were about 71. Considering this is our first fanfic, it's pretty amazing.

Cao - YEAH! XD

Alex - 13 Favourites, 11 Alerts. . .damn, this story really got popular pretty fast, huh?

Cao - I know XD  
Ohoh! According to the reader traffic, 153 'official' hits, and 49 visitors. That's pretty damn good.

Alex - Though the most reviews we've ever gotten for a single chapter has been, like. . .5.

Cao - That breaks my heart. Just a little bit.  
BUT ONWARDS! XD  
Oh, and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THIS FANFICTION! (-cough-EventhoughIkindofdidn'tupdateoften...-cough-)

**oOoOoOo**

**Omake  
**

Alex sighed, staring up at the ceiling of the Yulia City medical facility, utterly bored out of his skull.

And depressed. Yes, we can't forget that one, either.

He missed Guy. Was that so wrong? Whenever he usually hurt, Guy was the only one actually able to make him feel better and take it all away, to tell him that it would all be alright. Tear was a great healer and all, true, and she was great with kids, but it just wasn't the same.

Sighing again, the child rolled over onto his side, propping his head up with one arm as he stared at the redheaded figure currently sitting next to the bed and staring lifelessly at the ground, not even bothering to make himself comfortable.

He did this often, Alex noted. Every time he was awake, Luke was there, sitting. He determined that he was on standby or something, because every time Alex needed something, the redhead would go off and get it for him, eventually returning. It pissed him off, just a little bit, because other than those tasks, the redhead noble did absolutely nothing!

. . .Then again, all things considered. . .

"Hey," the child spoke up, forcing himself to sit up, wincing slightly as his stiff limbs brought forth pain but brushing it aside. Luke didn't even _stir_. "Hellooooo?" The blue-haired boy leaned over the edge, knocking gently on the redhead. "Anybody in there? I'd like to know if I'm talking to a brick wall or something before I turn insane."

And still, nothing.

The child huffed, wondering just how long this would go on.

So, he did the one thing he knew would get to the redhead. He grabbed a lock of hair, fingering it slightly before tugging on it. Not harshly, but just enough so that it would no doubt cause annoyance. And, sure enough, he saw those red brows furrow slightly, the form stiffening. Alex smirked. "If I don't talk, I'll keep pulling on your hair until you do," he murmured, tugging on the hair for the last three syllables of the sentence for emphasis. Now the replica was super stiff, obviously debating something in his head. So, Alex continued what he was doing, humming a little tune to himself as he tugged on the red hair, smiling innocently.

At least, until a gloved hand grabbed his wrist.

Eyes widening, Alex yelped as he was pulled forcefully out of bed, caught in Luke's strong arms before he could cause harm to the both of them. This successfully made him let go of the soft hair, a disgruntled noise escaping him as he turned his head to look at Luke, pouting.

"Killjoy," he said, sighing dramatically as she shifted his position so that he could sit up against Luke, resting his head on the older boy's (or was he younger now?) chest.

"Obnoxious kid," were the words he received in response. Alex actually had to force himself not to smile at that.

"Look who's talking! At least my age is past double-digits!"

Alex regretted saying those words, for as soon as he did, Luke's dark and quiet demeanor returned, those emerald orbs saddened within an instant. The child's brows furrowed in sympathy, and he nuzzled into the still chest again, hands slipping around the bigger form.

"You know," he began quietly, softly, wanting to do nothing more than to help the broken other. He wanted to see the life in him again, the one he despised and loved at the same time. "Our birthdays are coming up soon, you know? I'll be twelve and you'll be eight. Or eighteen. Whatever you want to think of it as."

"Mm. . ."

Alex started to feel sleepy, eyes drooping slightly. Twelve. . .the magic number before thirteen. . .that was great. And then eight or eighteen. . .two magic numbers, both two years away from special numbers; ten and twenty.

"Hey. . .what do you wish for?" the child murmured, feeling content when arms finally wrapped around his form. He didn't wait for an answer, not really expecting one. "I wish for. . .a family. One that laughs together, plays together, and stays with you no matter what happens."

The child yawned sleepily, covering his mouth as he did so before his form relaxed almost completely. He just barely heard the words from Luke before he fell asleep.

"I wish for. . .change."

Standing in the corner, watching the two children from afar, as a certain melodist, smiling softly before turning away.

**oOoOoOo**

Cao - Aaaw. Ain't that cute? Short, though. Sorry -brain fart-

Alex - Mm. . .

Cao - (pokes the sleepy child) Anyway. Thus ends Sound of the Wind! Working on the next arc, so stay tuned! Who knows, it might be up later today X3

_TTFN!_


End file.
